Japanese Art

Ukiyo Style

The Ukiyo-e style spanned from the 17^th to the 19^th century. In Japanese Ukiyo means “pictures of the floating world”. This style was popular in Japan and arose out of Edo during the Edo Period, which was from 1615-1868. Edo is in the place that is today known as Tokyo. This period was aided by the addition of the prints in 1765, which would form single prints with a wide range of colors.

This style consists of wood block prints and paintings. The theme of these pieces ranged, from female beauties, sumo wrestlers, to erotica. There were also many paintings done focused around busy scenes, such as historical events, of folktales. Landscapes were also common.

These pieces were popular amongst the merchant class as they began to rise up during this time period. They were now able to afford these paintings for purpose of decorating their homes. Edo was a highly populated city that was very diversified. That is why this style is so remarkable in my opinion.

Okumuru Masanobu

Okumuru Masanobu was born in  1686 and died in 1764. Very little was known of his early life and there are lots of mysteries about where he learned his skill set. It is thought that he was self-taught and did not learn under anyone to learn the skills that he did. Despite his independent study, Masanobu became a leading figure in the Ukiyo style of art. He was a book publisher, print designer, and painter. He was born in Edo and raised there making art pieces in a variety of mediums.

Morita-za

Morita-za by Okumuru Masanobu

Morita-za by Okumuru Masanobu is an excellent example of Ukiyo style in Japan. The origin of this piece and the date are unknown. This piece is a depiction of everyday life and is very busy. It is a prime example of Ukiyo Style which focuses on folk tales and daily life. I choose this piece because of the insane detail. Although the people are similar they are all uniquely different. They all wear different colors and hold different poses and facial expressions. I loved that within this piece a million stories could be told. I thought of the fact that each of these people had their own lives, goals struggles, yet together they form this beautiful sea of people. Above them are these lanterns, each detailed and perfectly hanging in place.

Shibai Uki-e

Shibai Uki-e by Okumuru Masanobu

Shibai Uki-e by Okumuru Masanobu was created sometime between 1741-1744 but it is hard to know when exactly for sure.. This piece did remind me of the piece above except the colors were much more vibrant. In this piece the colors showed, power, extravagance, and controlled the painting. This painting is very busy and full of contrast. I love this piece because the colors seem to fight each other on the page. There are as many people as the previous painting yet they seem as busy as the background, drawing more attention to the piece as a whole than to the individuals.

Ando Hiroshige

Ando Hiroshige was born in 1797 and lived until 1858. He was raised in a samurai background. When his father died, he was handed the job of fire prevention at the Edo Castle. This was a relatively easy job that left him a lot of free time. This free time led to an opportunity for him to refine his art style. He is best known for landscapes, and his interpretive pictures of flowers and birds. He was a known figure in Ukiyo style. In fact, his death marked a decline of Ukiyo-e genre of art work.

Evening Snow at Kanbara

Evening Snow at Kanbara by Ando Hiroshige

Evening Snow at Kanbara by Ando Hiroshige was created in 1834. This piece is a woodblock print composed of ink and color on paper. This piece is representative of the Ukiyo Style. I choose this one because it did remind me of Japanese art but there was part of it that surprised me. When I think about Japan I do not commonly think of snow, and this other side of that land that culture was very interesting. I found the use of color in this piece interesting. Rather than being over bearing or extreme, there is minimal color which raises the significance of each thing that is colored. The people appear weighed down and dreary. The mountain and snow to the left seems to be arching in on the people, and is jagged and scary. There is something to be said about the overbearing fear of the landscape.

Kinryusan Temple at Asakusa

Kinryusan Temple at Asakusa by Ando Hiroshige

Kinryusan Temple at Asakusa by Ando Hiroshige was created in 1856. It is part of a series titled On Hundred Famous Views of Edo. This was created during the Edo period and is an excellent depiction of the Ukiyo style. This piece is a woodblock print comprised of ink and color on paper. I choose this piece because of the attention to small detail. The ink marks in the trees and the ring of the lantern are very precise. I also enjoyed the contrast in the painting. There is such a vibrant red in the foreground and yet the lighter white in the background still is prominent. I found the mix of mediums for the use of this piece very interesting.

Works Cited

Artcyclopedia. Ando Hiroshige. 2015. http://www.artcyclopedia.com/artists/hiroshige_ando.html. 22 November 2015.

hiroshige.org. THE WOODBLOCK PRINTS OF ANDO HIROSHIGE. 18 August 2014. http://www.hiroshige.org.uk/. 22 November 2015.

Johansson, Hans Olof. UKIYO-E. 2014. http://www.ukiyo-e.se/. 22 November 2015.

Library of Congress. The Floating World of Ukiyo-E. 2015. http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/ukiyo-e/intro.html. 22 November 2015.

Timeline, Heilbrunn. Woodblock Prints in the Ukiyo-e Style. 2015. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ukiy/hd_ukiy.htm. 22 November 2015.