Worldly Pleasures, Earthly Delights features three hundred of the finest woodblock prints from the collection of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The prints were chosen for their rarity, remarkable state of preservation, and superb artistry. From the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, they represent the creativity of forty artists, including such renowned masters as Masanobu, Harunobu, Shunshō, Shunkō, Kiyonaga, Shunman, Utamaro, Toyokuni, Sharaku, Hokusai, and Hiroshige. Arranged chronologically, they illustrate the development and evolution of printmaking in Japan as well as the changing tastes and interests of popular culture. Extended information about the prints was provided by nine scholars, whose insightful observations about the artists, subject matter, social milieu, printing techniques, and publishing industry bring each image to life.
