Rainy season has just started in Japan. Rainy days make us feel a little bit down but colorful hydrangea lifts up our spirit. (see the photos of them at the president's blog)
Let me continue the story of ukiyo-e from the newsletter vol.12.
It is said that the massive flows of Japanese fine arts happened twice in the past: at the time between the end of the Edo Era and the Meiji era and just after the WWII.
Some people say (in particular Japanese people) that it is very pity to see so many great works of ukiyo-e prints can only be seen overseas. However, the bright side of the big flow of Japanese fine arts is that such wonderful pieces gave a big influence on the overseas artists and made the people overseas more interested in Japanese culture thus the recognition of Japan as a nation was enhanced through the Japonism boom.
Japonism boom gave a strong impact on artists such as Claude Mone, Van Gogh and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Henri Riviere created "Les 36 vues de la Tour Eiffle" (36 Views of Eiffle Tour) as an homage to Hokusai’s 36 Views of Mt. Fuji.
Why ukiyo-e which was not valued so much could gain such popularity in other countries?
There seems to be two reasons for this.
First, the quality of ukiyo-e prints for their prices. People in Europe were surprised by the printing quality of ukiyo-e. The great team work among an ukiyo-e artist, hori-shi (wood-block carver) and suiri-shi (printer). If one of the three lacks in skills, great work of ukiyo-e can not be created. Despite their quality, ukiyo-e served as an entertainment for commoners in the Edo era; therefore their prices were set at a low range. Tokugawa shogunate also tried to restrict on their prices.
Second, it was due to "westernization of ukiyo-e". Ukiyo-e artists had already introduced western techniques of perspective in the 18th century. Although western style paintings were imported to Japan together with missionaries in the 16th century, only a few artists were influenced by them and Japanese artists did not absorb western techniques at that time. In contract with the boom of Nan-ga (Chinese style painting), Japanese people did not show much interest in western style paintings.
However, Megane-e boom changed this situation. Megane-e, a painting designed to be viewed through an apparatus, which further heightens an illusion of depth created became very popular among Japanese people. The earliest apparatus used in Japan is thought to have arrived in Nagasaki via China from Holland in 1718. Influenced by the megane-e, ukiyo-e artist Okumura Masanobu (1686-1764) created uki-e (floating picture) or kubomi-e using Western techniques of perspectives and shading. This was long before Maruyama Oukyo created his version of megane-e paintings. Masanobu's prints gave a big impact on the upcoming ukiyo-e artists including Hokusai, Hiroshige and others. Hokusai tried to re-create effects of shading and perspectives in his Hiragana Rakkan Series where rakkan is written in hiragana and placed with 90-degree turn to make them look like alphabets. (see the image of Hokusai's Kudan Ushigafuchi at the president's blog)
An ukiyo-e scholar Tadashi Kobayashi wrote in his book that this introduction of western techniques into ukiyo-e made a foundation of Japonism to happen in Europe. Kobayashi also mentioned that German resident physician and scientist Philipp Franz Balthasar von Siebold (he disguised himself as Dutch) who stayed in Dejima, Nagasaki, commissioned Hokusai to create paintings depicting people in Edo because Hokusai used a lot of western techniques of perspectives and his paintings would be easy to be accepted by western audience.
For those two reasons, many ukiyo-e prints were exported to Europe and the US and accelerated by Japonism boom and the financial problems of the daimyo lords after the collapse of Tokugawa shogunate, big flow of ukiyo-e prints occurred in the Meiji era.
Yasumasa Oka wrote in his book titled "Megane-e Shin-kou" that while Ukiyo-e artists introduced western perspectives and shading to some extent (mainly liner-perspectives), they did not introduce modeling techniques and maintained flat two dimensional painting styles; therefore people in Europe found ukiyo-e prints very exotic but easy to absorb into their culture.
How interesting to know European culture and Japanese culture influenced each other despite geographical distance between them and ukiyo-e artists' and European artists' strong desire to introduce new things.
Well, let me introduce our latest recommended items before I wrap up this newsletter.
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New Arrivals:
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Takashima Hokkai, Summer and Winter Landscape (diptych)
http://www.japanese-finearts.com/item/list2/108000600/
Takashima Hokkai (1850-1931) who used to be an influential geologist but later converted to a painter created this art work.
Hokkai introduced Japanese-style paintings in Nancy, France when he studied there and he also strongly supported Art Nouveau movement enough to receive the order of educational merit from French government in 1887.
Later as a painter, he flourished in center of Japanese painting circles while he studied in the United States as a scholar.
Although his water ink landscape is similar to Hashimoto Gaho, clear shading he used suggests modernity and uniqueness.
And more:
Imao Keinen, A Parakeet on a Pine Tree
http://www.japanese-finearts.com/item/list2/108000610/
Otani Kubutsu's (Koen) Hanging Scrolls, Cock, Japanese Plum and Calligraphic Work
http://www.japanese-finearts.com/item/list2/108000083/
http://www.japanese-finearts.com/item/list2/108000092/
http://www.japanese-finearts.com/item/list2/108000093/
That is all for this week.
Thank you for taking your precious time for reading this newsletter to the end.
Have a wonderful week!
Sachiko & Chiaki
**We are sending Shukado News Letter - the information of
new arrivals.
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