Kitao Shigemasa (北尾重政)
Kitao Shigemasa (北尾重政) was a Japanese artist active from 1701 to 1760, known principally for his output of historical and genre prints. Fifteen of his prints are documented in prominent American institutions, illustrating his range across narrative, portrait, and landscape subjects.
His work includes genre studies such as Boy Holding Hourglass and Chinese Fan and A Boy Singer, alongside narrative pieces like Hakuba no Sechie. Shigemasa also documented specific moments of cultural or historical importance, demonstrated by Landscape; Showing Water Festival with Lanterns and the study of the scholar in Ono no Dofu as a Young Man Watching a Frog Jumping at a Willow Branch.
These documented Kitao Shigemasa (北尾重政) prints are preserved in significant institutional collections, establishing his legacy in the 18th-century graphic arts. These collections include the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Art Institute of Chicago. As many historical artworks from this period are now in the public domain, the high-quality prints derived from these collections continue to be studied and accessed globally.
