You may have heard about Japonisme – the influence Japanese art had on Western art in the 19th century, after Japanese ports reopened in 1854, having been closed to the West for over 200 years. I posted about 8 Great Artists Inspired by Japanese Art a while back. Artists like Van Gogh, Degas, and Toulouse Lautrec saw the artistic creativity of Japanese non-realist art, and were inspired to paint works mimicking their color palette of secondary and tertiary colors, asymmetrical compositions, and creative expressions of form. I hear a lot about Japonisme. I love it. What I haven’t heard as much about is the influence the West had on Japanese artists.
Although depictions of beautiful women were one of the primary subjects of ukiyo-e woodblock prints, before the 19th century, the completely nude body as an independent form was rare in Japanese art. Japanese figures were usually stylized presentations showcasing hairstyles, kimono and textile designs. What the figures were wearing and how they were wearing it was more important than the form of the body. So, Japanese artists contributed color, abstraction, and asymmetrical composition to the West, and the West contributed … casually naked women. As an official spokesperson for all Western Artists, all I have to say is “You’re welcome.”
I recently got to see a few of these very Parisian looking woodblock prints, made by a Ishikawa Toraji (1875-1964). What Western artists do these compositions remind you of?
DRAWING FROM OBSERVATION I like to draw from observation. I like to study what I see, and experiment with how I see it. My goal is not realism, my goal is to find and discover. Every time I look at something, even something I’ve drawn before, I see things I didn’t see before, things I …
You are invited to contribute to the 2nd annual Seattle Artist League Portrait Awards! 1st Prize: $1,000 cash2nd Prize: $500 SAL Gift Certificate3rd Prize: $300 SAL Gift CertificateHonorable Mentions: $100 SAL Gift Certificates Guest judge: Catherine Lepp Call ends 5/1/2022 @ midnight PST The Seattle Artist League Portrait Awards encourage artists to develop the theme of portraiture in their work. The …
Day 27 of our 30 day January Creative Challenge was inadvertently a cruel one. Komorebi is a Japanese word for sunlight filtering through the trees. In Seattle, January 27th supplied artists with neither leaves nor sun. Somehow, these innovative artists found their ways.
Japonisme, Parisme
You may have heard about Japonisme – the influence Japanese art had on Western art in the 19th century, after Japanese ports reopened in 1854, having been closed to the West for over 200 years. I posted about 8 Great Artists Inspired by Japanese Art a while back. Artists like Van Gogh, Degas, and Toulouse Lautrec saw the artistic creativity of Japanese non-realist art, and were inspired to paint works mimicking their color palette of secondary and tertiary colors, asymmetrical compositions, and creative expressions of form. I hear a lot about Japonisme. I love it. What I haven’t heard as much about is the influence the West had on Japanese artists.
Although depictions of beautiful women were one of the primary subjects of ukiyo-e woodblock prints, before the 19th century, the completely nude body as an independent form was rare in Japanese art. Japanese figures were usually stylized presentations showcasing hairstyles, kimono and textile designs. What the figures were wearing and how they were wearing it was more important than the form of the body. So, Japanese artists contributed color, abstraction, and asymmetrical composition to the West, and the West contributed … casually naked women. As an official spokesperson for all Western Artists, all I have to say is “You’re welcome.”
I recently got to see a few of these very Parisian looking woodblock prints, made by a Ishikawa Toraji (1875-1964). What Western artists do these compositions remind you of?
Related Posts
Sunday Comic by Lyall Wallerstedt
20 Minute Increments
DRAWING FROM OBSERVATION I like to draw from observation. I like to study what I see, and experiment with how I see it. My goal is not realism, my goal is to find and discover. Every time I look at something, even something I’ve drawn before, I see things I didn’t see before, things I …
Seattle Artist League 2nd Annual Portrait Awards, 2022
You are invited to contribute to the 2nd annual Seattle Artist League Portrait Awards! 1st Prize: $1,000 cash2nd Prize: $500 SAL Gift Certificate3rd Prize: $300 SAL Gift CertificateHonorable Mentions: $100 SAL Gift Certificates Guest judge: Catherine Lepp Call ends 5/1/2022 @ midnight PST The Seattle Artist League Portrait Awards encourage artists to develop the theme of portraiture in their work. The …
30SAL Faves: Komorebi
Day 27 of our 30 day January Creative Challenge was inadvertently a cruel one. Komorebi is a Japanese word for sunlight filtering through the trees. In Seattle, January 27th supplied artists with neither leaves nor sun. Somehow, these innovative artists found their ways.