Japanese American Impressionism

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Introduction
The following essay aims to analyse three impressionist artists; Vincent Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Edgar degas and identifies the influences that Japanese Art had on their artworks. The Japanese trade had a major impact on Western cultures and put Japan on the map in terms of the art market. Japanese prints, albums, and objects began to arrive in Europe and North America in extraordinary quantities, this brought about a trend for all things Japanese among collectors, artists, and designers. The notion of signing the treaties for permitting trades is discussed. This paper also addresses the term Japonisme which played a prominent role in the major movements of Impressionism, in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Commodore Matthew Perry of the United States Navy, commanding a squadron of two steamers and two sailing vessels, sailed into Tokyo harbor aboard the frigate Susquehanna (Asia Educators , n.d.) . Perry enacted on behalf of the U.S. government and forced Japan to enter into trade with the United States, demanding a treaty permitting trade and the opening of Japanese ports to U.S. merchant ships. This was the period when all Western authorities were seeking to open new markets for their manufactured goods abroad, as well as new countries to supply raw materials for industry (Asia Educators , n.d.). Prior to this Japan was relatively closed off to the outside world.
The Japanese knew that his ships were just the beginning of Western interest in their islands. Russia, Britain, France, and Holland all followed Perry's example and used their fleets to force Japan to sign treaties that promised regular relations and trade (Asia Educators , n.d.).
Many Japanese leaders wanted the foreigners banished from the country, however in 1854 a treaty was signed between the United States and Japan which allowed trade at two ports. When news spread of American success in opening up Japanese markets — European governments sent similar expeditions to sign their own trade agreements (Asia Educators ,

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