NOTES
A young prostitute crouches by a low table, perhaps resting between clients. Her downcast expression suggests resignation over her unhappy circumstances. In order to create the swirling pattern in the background, the textiles, and the table in this work, the printer used a technique called baren sujizuri. This approach involves rubbing the edge of the baren (printing pad) against the back of the print in a circular motion.
Itō Shinsui began his artistic career as a painter. The publisher Watanabe Shōzaburō spotted Shinsui’s work at an exhibition in May 1916 and invited him to design prints for him. Thus began a partnership that continued until 1964. Prostitute was the second print produced from this collaboration.
