Editing Utamaro (section)

==Legacy==

Utamaro was recognized as a master in his own age. He appears to have achieved a national reputation at a time when even the most popular Edo ukiyo-e artists were little known outside the city.{{sfn|Kobayashi|1982|p=69}}  Due to his popularity Utamaro had many imitators, some of whom likely signed their work with his name; this is believed to include students of his and his successor, Utamaro&nbsp;II.{{sfn|Goncourt|Locey|Locey|2012|p=21}}  On rare occasions Utamaro signed his work "the genuine Utamaro"{{efn|{{lang|ja|正銘歌麿}} ''Shōmei Utamaro''}} to distinguish himself from these imitators.{{sfn|Stewart|1922|p=45}}  Forgeries and reprints of Utamaro's work are common; he produced a large body of work, but his earlier, more popular works are difficult to find in good condition.{{sfn|Stewart|1922|p=46}}

[[File:Mary Cassatt - The Coiffure - NGC 29882.jpg|thumb|left|alt=|Utamaro had a profound influence on French [[Impressionism|Impressionists]] such as [[Mary Cassatt]].<br />''[[The Coiffure]]'', [[drypoint]] and [[aquatint]], {{circa|1890–91}}]]

A wave of interest in Japanese art swept France from the mid-19th century, called [[Japonism|''Japonisme'']].  Exhibitions in Paris of Japanese art began to be staged in the 1880s, include an Utamaro exhibition in 1888 by the German-French art dealer [[Siegfried Bing]].{{sfn|Hokenson|2004|p=186}}  The French [[Impressionism|Impressionists]] regarded Utamaro's work on a level akin with [[Hokusai]] and [[Hiroshige]].{{sfn|Ives|1974|p=13}}  French artist-collectors of Utamaro's work included [[Claude Monet|Monet]],{{sfn|Fraleigh|Nakamura|2006|p=96}} [[Edgar Degas|Degas]],{{sfn|Dumas|1997|p=16}} [[Paul Gauguin|Gauguin]],{{sfn|Ives|1974|p=96}} and [[Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec|Toulouse-Lautrec]]{{sfn|Ives|1974|p=79}}

Utamaro had an influence on the compositional, colour,{{sfn|Clement|Houzé|Erbolato-Ramsey|2000|p=60}} and sense of tranquility of the American painter [[Mary Cassatt]]'s work.{{sfn|Weinberg|2009|p=238}}  The ''[[shin-hanga]]'' ("new prints") artist [[Goyō Hashiguchi]] (1880–1921) was called the "Utamaro of the [[Taishō period]]" (1912–1926) for his manner of depicting women.{{sfnm|1a1=Brown|1y=2006|1p=22|2a1=Seton|2y=2010|2p=81}}  The painter character Seiji Moriyama in the British novelist [[Kazuo Ishiguro]]'s ''[[An Artist of the Floating World]]'' (1986) has a reputation as a "modern Utamaro" for his combination of Western techniques Utamaro-like feminine subjects.{{sfn|Lewis|2000|p=56}}

In 2016 Utamaro's ''Fukaku Shinobu Koi'' set the record price for an ukiyo-e print sold at auction at [[Euro|€]]{{val|745000}}.{{sfn|AFP–Jiji staff|2016}}

[[File:Kitagawa Utamaro (c. 1793–94) Fukaku Shinobu Koi.jpg|thumb|alt=|Utamaro's ''[[Fukaku Shinobu Koi]]'' ({{circa|1793–94}}) set an auction record of €{{val|745000}} in 2016.]]

The 2016 role-playing game ''[[Persona 5]]'' has a character named Yusuke Kitagawa after Utamaro's surname.