Ukiyo-E

ukiyo-e

(Japanese; “pictures of the floating world”)

Dominant art movement of the Edo culture in Japan. Screen paintings were the first works to be done in the style, which depicted aspects of the entertainment quarters (“floating world”) of Edo (modern Tokyo) and other cities. Ukiyo-e artists switched their focus to wood-block prints, which were mass-produced for an eager public. Favourite ukiyo-e subjects included famous courtesans and prostitutes, kabuki actors in famous roles, and erotica; they were executed in flat, decorative colours and expressive patterns. Hishikawa Moronobu is generally accredited as the first master of ukiyo-e. The transition from single- to two-colour prints was made by Okumura Masanobu; in 1765 polychrome prints using numerous blocks were introduced by Suzuki Harunobu. The essence of the ukiyo-e style was embodied in the works of Utamaro, Hokusai, and Hiroshige. The prints attracted much attention in Europe in the 19th century and had a great influence on avant-garde French artists such as the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists.

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Ukiyo-E 

a Japanese school of art that originated in the 17th century and reflected democratic tendencies related to the rapid development of urban life. The paintings and woodcuts of the ukiyo-e masters were widely circulated in the form of prints. In contrast to works of the aristocratic schools of Kano and Tosa, they depicted the everyday life of artisans, merchants, actors, and geishas. Ukiyo-e, which became highly developed in the 18th century, heralded the flourishing of the Japanese woodcut. The chief representatives of the school were Matabei and Moronobu. In the 18th and 19th centuries, Sharaku, Toyokuni, Utamaro, Hi-roshige, and Hokusai were also associated with ukiyo-e.

REFERENCE

laponskaia graviura. Moscow, 1963.