Japanese Woodblock prints of the late Edo Period.

 Introduction:

The Edo period of Japan was one of the most influential and well-known eras of art from East Asia, spanning from about 1603 to 1867 in the Meiji restoration when power was restored to the Emperor rather than the military-powers of the Shogun. During this era the art of woodblock printing rose to popularity producing some of the most famous pieces of artwork not just in Japan but world wide using techniques similar to both woodworking and traditional canvas painting. There are various different subsets with in woodblock artwork, such as Sumizuri-e which uses exclusively black ink and sticks to monochrome work to Benizuri-e which used crimson paints with highlights in green.

Chose to use Japanese woodblock prints mostly from them being among my favorite types of artwork. Everything about them is colorful and sharp, used for both as traditional artwork and as a method to use in a similar way to campfire stories telling myths and legends. Its a very diverse style of woodworking that I can't help but be interest in.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa - Katsushika Hokusai (1831)

What is undoubtedly the single most famous piece of artwork to come out of Japan, The Great Wave captures a small group of three boats presumably out fishing before being caught off guard by a large wave. Possibly a tsunami but could possibly be also a large rouge wave barrelling down upon them as Mount Fuji is visible in the horizon. It is by far Hokusai's most well-known piece and one of the most recognizable in the world. It is those reasons why I chose this piece specifically to start off with, it is the iconic symbol of this genre of artwork. 

It was not the first piece that Hokusai had made about large waves, two different pieces predate this one in 1803 and 1805 respectively, however this one landed at just the right time. In 1868 with the Meiji restoration and the opening up to international trade, Japanese artwork was displayed abroad for the first time and quickly gained popularity and especially The Great Wave which would influence many other artists abroad in Europe. It captured the seeming terror that the oceans invoked in people, with the crests of the waves presenting themselves like claws coming in to catch something. As an island nation, Japan has a long history with the sea, it is both a source of life as seen with the groups of fishermen but also one that is dangerous which is captured by the waves themselves. That sense of awe is further sensed with how small Mount Fuji is compared to the monster that is the wave thanks to the great use of perspective.

Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Specter - Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1844)

Utagawa Kuniyoshi is another famous woodblock artist who's work tended to focus on myths, legends, and history. This one is a combination of both of those aspects, here is the 10th century Princess Takiyasha using a scroll to summon a creature in Japanese folklore known as a Gashadokuro, which is essentially a giant skeleton, to ward off a group of warriors as it comes crashing through at night. It was made by Kuniyoshi about some of the post-war aftermath after a revolt in the late 900s during the Heian period between two different cousins, one being the father of Princess Takiyahsa, where one was left slain. In the piece, the Princess is not the protagonist but rather the two Samurai who were sent to capture the Princess after she delved into dark magic. Its a revenge story, for the most part.

This captures a side of Japanese woodblock art which is prevalent, that being the side which uses the medium to display elements of folklore and mythology, not just things you'd find in nature. It is a medium not to dissimilar to ancient Greek vases where stories of the Minotaur or Heracles were painted on, or famous kings like Leonidas of Sparta. 

Plum Orchard in Kamada - Utagawa Hiroshige (1857)

One of the last pieces made by Hiroshige before his death in 1858, it captures an orchard slowly growing back its lush branches and fruits after the winter. While Hokusai looked at the sea and Kuniyoshi looked at mythology, Hiroshige looked at nature and the environment for inspiration. Hiroshige's work along with Hokusai's would be inspirational to Western artists as apart of the Japonism trends where Western artists took great influence in their own work. Vincent Van Gogh was well known to be a particularly fond fan on Japanese prints and took great inspiration from Hiroshige especially.

Winter is a season which is very quiet and calm, everything seems to rest and go silent as the first snows approach and things become still. Hiroshige captures that essence very well here, there is little greenery and the trees are just finally starting to grow their leaves and fruit again as life begins to reawaken to the hustles and bustles that the world demands.

Tiger and Bamboo - Okumura Masanobu (1725)

 Masanobu was a Sumizuri-e artist who's work tended to focus on people and animals, using the common style of sumizri-e focusing on the strong use of black ink in a monochrome or almost complete monochrome color scheme. His art would lead to many innovations within woodblock printing techniques and is one of the most influential of the entire genre. 

He often stayed away from using color in through his career, what color he does use is more for contrast to make certain aspects pop out more such as the eyes of the tiger above or parts of the bamboo like the leaves and parts of the stalk. Sometimes much more vibrant colors would be used, but those would be exceptions and not the norms of his work as an artist.

Thoughts and Opinions:

Japanese woodblock prints are some of my personal favorites, using such a wide array of colors and topics from the mundane to the mythological. Each artist found a very particular niche as opposed to some other artists who often had a large verity of works in their catalogue compared to someone like Kuniyoshi who spent a great deal of his career reading Japanese folklore and mythology for inspiration or Hokusai who spent his life near the coasts using that to fuel his creative process. It does not try to be accurate but rather to embody the reactions the artist themselves felt, the seas could provide but also take in the case of a large wave or the moral lessons hidden in an old fable. 

References:

“Five Greats of Japanese Woodblock Printing.” Nippon.com, 30 May 2020, https://www.nippon.com/en/nipponblog/m00062/.

Kuniyoshi, Utagawa. “Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Specter.” Obelisk Art History, Art History Project, https://arthistoryproject.com/artists/utagawa-kuniyoshi/takiyasha-the-witch-and-the-skeleton-spectre/.

“Okumura Masanobu.” Ukiyo, https://ukiyo-e.org/artist/okumura-masanobu.

“Under the Wave off Kanagawa (Kanagawa Oki Nami Ura), Also Known as The Great Wave, from the Series Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji (Fugaku Sanjūrokkei).” Metmuseum.org, Met Museum, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/45434.