Ukiyo-e

Pictures of the Floating World
The Japanese Ukiyo-e style of print was first introduced to the western world in the 19th century. The ‘Floating World’ referred to in Ukiyo-e refers to the world of leisure and beauty to be found within the enclosed world of the Edo period, from 1615-1868. Among the many themes found in the Ukiyo-e style two are the portraits of courtesans and those of famous actors of the Kabuki stage.

Hillwood Museum

Utagawa Hiroshige

(1797-1858)
Ohashi Bridge in the Rain

The arrival of Japanese prints and Ukiyo-e particularly, with its unique graphic style and sense of composition had an immediate impact on the most advanced artists of the day. This is the case most notably in the work of the Parisian painters in the circle of the Impressionists. In Edouard Manet’s “Portrait of Emile Zola” (1868) a ukiyo-e print can be seen and Van Gogh famously did a number of paintings after works by Hiroshige. The use of large flat areas, dramatic cropping and dynamic formal elements was central to developments of Modern Art.

Ukiyo-e Links