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?
On day 15, halfway through our 30 day challenge, I introduced inverse perspective, in which objects grow larger as they’re farther away. Beautiful examples of inverse perspective can be found in Chinese, Japanese, and Indian artworks, as well as Byzantine. Here are a few by adventurous artists who responded to the challenge:
[image_with_animation image_url=”9524″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] This is the sixth and last part of a multi day series, sharing work by my beginning figure drawing classes. Many of these students have never taken a drawing class before, nearly all of them are new to figure drawing. Rather than learning one style, we study a different …
Our printmaking instructor Nikki Barber has been printing posters in her basement for protest rallies and marches. “I feel responsible to stand up for my friends who are Black and my friends who are Brown, since I white-pass so easily, but am not white.” Nikki has been active in the social, political, and art in …
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was an American seascape and landscape painter. Homer worked primarily in oil and watercolor paints, creating a prolific body of work that chronicled his working vacations. During the cold winter of 1884-5, Homer traveled to Florida, Cuba, and the Bahamas. He painted a series of watercolors as part of a commission for Century Magazine. The fresh …
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
30SAL Faves: Inverse Perspective
On day 15, halfway through our 30 day challenge, I introduced inverse perspective, in which objects grow larger as they’re farther away. Beautiful examples of inverse perspective can be found in Chinese, Japanese, and Indian artworks, as well as Byzantine. Here are a few by adventurous artists who responded to the challenge:
Beginner’s Drawings That’ll Knock Your Socks Off (Final)
[image_with_animation image_url=”9524″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] This is the sixth and last part of a multi day series, sharing work by my beginning figure drawing classes. Many of these students have never taken a drawing class before, nearly all of them are new to figure drawing. Rather than learning one style, we study a different …
Print Arts and Activism
Our printmaking instructor Nikki Barber has been printing posters in her basement for protest rallies and marches. “I feel responsible to stand up for my friends who are Black and my friends who are Brown, since I white-pass so easily, but am not white.” Nikki has been active in the social, political, and art in …
Winslow Homer in Cuba
Winslow Homer (1836-1910) was an American seascape and landscape painter. Homer worked primarily in oil and watercolor paints, creating a prolific body of work that chronicled his working vacations. During the cold winter of 1884-5, Homer traveled to Florida, Cuba, and the Bahamas. He painted a series of watercolors as part of a commission for Century Magazine. The fresh …