Influence On Japanese Ukiyo-E Prints

Utagawa Kuniyoshi born 1797 was one of the last great masters of the japanese ukiyo-e style woodblock prints and painting.

Yasumasa Morimura (born in 1951, Japan) has had a career in film-making and conceptual photography for over three decades. Morimura uses costumes, makeup props and digital manipulation to create an almost replica of the original artwork, replacing the original subject with himself. Morimura graduated from the Kyōto City University of Arts in 1978 and then became an assistant at that same university. During his time working he experimented with many mediums and styles including painting, photography and wood-block art. He soon became recognized for his artworks and began to be involved in traveling shows such as ‘Japanese Art After 1945: Scream Against the Sky’ (1994). After some time, and with critics watching skeptically, he began to

Around the age of six years old, Hokusai began painting and even spent time as an apprentice wood-carver in his youth. He began the art of print making when he was eighteen. His most famous painting, The Great Wave, can be seen in museums all over the world even though Japan delayed it from catching on worldwide. Many believe that it was painted in the early 1800s, but Japan was not interacting culturally with other countries apart from trade with China and Korea. It wasn’t until 1859 when the Japanese were forced to open their ports that prints of The Wave spread across Europe. Originally, this piece wasn’t viewed as real art by Japanese politicians and art historians. Wood-block printing was used for commercial use and as a popular form of expression. The Japanese government wasn’t too thrilled “that such a seemingly lowbrow art form had come to define them” (15 Things). About five thousand to eight thousand prints were made but it is speculated that only a few hundreds of The Great Wave remain. The painting actually inspired music like Debussy’s La Mer.

Woodblock printing was invented around the year 220CE in China. Inventors decided carving out from wood and using them as stamps was much more efficient than writing. In the 5th century CE, Arab Muslims were also printing texts, mainly passages from the Qur'an which is the Muslim version of a bible. The Arab Muslims had already embraced the Chines craft of paper making, the Muslims had also developed the craft and adopted it widely in the Middle East. The Arab Muslims continued this method for about 500 years. Whether or not the Arab Muslims may have influenced the eventual adoption of printing in Europe is still debated about to this day. The possibility of

Writers during the Meiji are began to try and write pieces of literature that everyone can understand. Sakutaro Hagiwara is known as “the father of modern Japanese poetry (Hayes).” Before becoming a writer, Hagiwara entertained individuals by juggling or magic, however transitioned into becoming the start of a revolutionary change in Japanese literature. Futabatei Shimei was said to have produced the first modern novel, Ukigumo. The way the book was written was a new style or colloquial style of language.

One of my favorite pieces of art would be the ukiyo-e print, Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa oki nami ura), also known as The Great Wave, from the woodblock print series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku sanjūrokkei). This print was created by Katsushika Hokusai who at the time went by the name, Zen Hokusai Iitsu hitsu. The interesting elements of this print are the contrast between the wave and the peak of the highest mountain in Japan, Mt. Fuji. With a height of 3776 meters, the mountain appears to be a small mound in this print compared to the huge wave that is towering over the ships within the sense. The most eye catching feature of the print is the claw like crest shape wave that is printed in a dark blue pigment called Prussian

Post-war Japanese society is a world where High and Low art is blurred together by otaku, such as anime, and social class. However, Takashi Murakami straddles the line. Murakami spills a mix of Nihanga and Otaku into the canvases, plastic toys, handbags, shoes, etc; endorsing his own theory/style named “Superflat”. Using strategical subject matter such as popular Japanese comic figures combined with ukiyo-e(traditional Japanese block prints), and addressing these contrasting qualities to outside cultures; Murakami intensifies what Pop Art accomplished, art versus material. On other feelings, one could argue that “Superflat” isn’t a unique, Japan-identified style, that “Superflat” is a humiliation to the Contemporary Art world because of its commercialism. Lastly, that is a continuation of the already well developed Pop Art. On the supporting side, Murakami’s “Superflat” is a high-energy, cross-culture style that serves as a new way to represent the high and low of art that is considerably unique to Japan. To support this, Murakami’s past and present artwork will have to be established chronologically to illustrate how the timeline affects his work.

Almost instantaneously recognizable, The Great Wave off Kanagawa (woodblock, 10 1/8 x 14 15/16 in, c. 1830-32), created by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai in 1830, beautifully captures the graceful, swelling movement of a crashing tsunami. Because of the way in which line and proportion are utilized, this woodblock print gracefully portrays the sheer power of the ocean. Derived from the Edo period in nineteenth century Japan, this classic was the first of a series of works from Hokusai titled Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji, all of which effortlessly depict the mountain in a wide array of angles and scenery. Arguably, The Great Wave off Kanagawa is the most iconic and cherished piece of Japanese artwork in the world. Even more importantly, Hokusai is considered prominent father figure for both Japanese art, as well as Western modernization as a whole. The Great Wave truly displays how tiny and weak man is compared to the force of nature. Not only is The Great Wave a quintessential piece of art, but it established a piece in the comprehensive networks of art, trade, and politics, that has instilled a tremendous positive impact on the twenty first century.

Tōshūsai Sharaku was a legendary Japanese print designer, known for his kabuki actor prints. Even though his daring experiments that depicted the large heads of actors in their famous roles were neglected by the society in his time, the existing prints had tremendous influence on modern art. Henri Toulouse-Lautrec was attracted by the dynamic and energetic poses and the sense of realism in these prints. As it shows in figure 1, Kabuki Actor Ōtani Oniji III as Yakko Edobei in the Play The Colored Reins of a Loving Wife, the expressive facial expression is the distinguished element to be considered. The angles of the eyes, the shape of the nose, the curve of the lip are in contrast to each other, due to the employment of bold and delicate lines for different parts. The lines capture only what is essential on the face. On the other hand, the background of black grey mica throws the intense facial expression into prominence. The

During the Meiji period, Japan was faced with a plethora of issues regarding its future. One of these issues was the future of Japanese literature. At that time, novels were still regarded as a third rate art form in Japan, though foreign books were highly sought after by the Japanese public. There were many ways to write Japanese, each system with its own use for specific occasions. And yet, the idea of writing in the style of natural conversational Japanese was considered radical and inappropriate for literature by the general public. Most foreign novels were translated poorly, into a writing style known as kanbun-chô which was mostly based around Chinese loan words. As a result, this style had a very rigid and legal feel, due to Chinese

The influence of Japanese woodblock prints weighs heavily in “France Champagne” because at the beginning of his career, the Japanese craze was reaching its climax in Paris. Bonnard portrays the Japanese influence through simple and neutral colors, the lack of shading, and in the black lines that define the shapes. The “party-girl” spinoff is a clear representation of geishas, which is a big part of the Japanese influence. The thick and thin lines and organic shapes come from the influence of Japanese prints, yet the lines are much more exaggerated and unpredictable.

Ukiyo-e is the name given to one of the most important art forms in all of Japan. Arriving as a new form of art in the 1700's these prints served as a record of daily life and pleasures in a newly wealthy Japanese society. The Japanese themselves had long regarded pleasure as transient because of their Buddhist heratige, because of this the word Ukiyo-e actually means "pictures of the floating world". These prints were truly art which reflected the whims of the masses. They record popular styles of dress, new hairstyles etc. They also record the popular Kabuki theater actors, the most beautiful geisha's (or prostitutes), and later even landscapes. Within the realm of Ukiyo-e there are many masters, but there is one master,

The intent and style of Ushio is the portraying of beautiful “mysterious” and “romantic” woman in a traditional Japanese style which was a common subject in his culture at the time. Ushio uses the mezzotint method to create very smooth and fine textures giving his image a realistic look and drawing the viewer into the calming glow of the light reflecting of the water in her

Portrait of an Arhat (Rakan) was created in Edo period of the Japanese art culture. This period started in 1615-1868 when culture expression started to really blossom for the Japanese culture (Singer). From statues, lavish paintings, and religion the art speaks vibrant vibrations. This culturally diverse period gets its name from the city of Edo, known as Tokyo modern day. Which became the headquarters of the government when Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542 – 1616) unified the country (Department of Asian Art). The Tokugawa regime was started in 1603, when the emperor, in “recognition of Ieyasu’s supremacy on the battlefield”, appointed him shogun. Shogun is the highest military position you can carry in Japan (Singer). After this Japan had strict laws on not using motor vehicles were put into place. Going into the 1630s, contact with the outside world was stopped through “official prohibition of foreigners” (Department of Asian Art). Around 1720 Edo had a population of “more than one million residents having more population than London or Paris at the time” (Singer). According to Art of Edo Japan Kyoto, was city of temples and shrines. It was the leading center of arts and crafts production with a population of close to 400,000 (Singer).

Japan alone is known for many things from its cuisine, to aesthetic tradition to their famous bonsai trees and their role in the second war. Yet what most people don't know, is how influential their works of art were to not only themselves, but others around the world. There were many different forms of art especially in painting such as Rinpa, Tarashikomi, Woodblock and Bunjinga which were used during the Edo period. The technique that seemed have peaked the westerners interest the most during the late 19th century was woodblock and one artist in particular who was greatly recognized for this was Tôshûsai Sharaku.