Kitagawa Utamaro and Edgar Degas

This woodblock print is called Hairdressing, from Twelve Types of Women's Handicraft.  This is by Kitagawa Utamaro.  was a Japanese printmaker and painter, who is considered one of the greatest artists of woodblock prints.  In my opinion, a mother is combing her daughters hair like her hair.  The mother's hair is probably styled like that because it is part of her culture.

This Pastel work is done by an artist named Edgar Degas.  This artwork is similar to the Kitagawa's because the actions in the picture is similar.  In this artwork I believe that the housemaid is combing the daughter of the mothers.  But instead of having clothes, this women is nude.  Differentiating between these artworks tells you how Japanese's culture is more shy and casual.  In nude painting, it sems like its an American family.  Its sorta saying how American are not as shy as other cultures.

Utamaro's women are slightly stylized.  They do not strike us as particular people drawn from life but as types of women drawn from the imagination.  Their robes, too, are stylized into a series of sinuous curves.  Edgar Degas works in a naturalistic style.  The women seems like a particular person, probably a model who posed for him in his studio.