Ukiyo-E Print Era

HISTORY
Development of Ukiyo-e prints in Japan and its influence on European design .
Ukiyo-e can be described as the print movement that took place in Edo, Tokyo and thusit has two periods(edo and meiji) the print term is translated as “the floating world” which describes the lifestyle of the classes in japan at that time.Before this period took place the initial origin of ukiyo_had connotations to a Buddhist term which signified “a world of sorrow and grief ”this sudden change of meaning had much to do with how classes movedfrom being struck by poverty and being able to afford and relate to art made in that period,this emphasises the development of not only art,but also economy and class distinction.Here on everything was rising and ukiyo_e was now associated with not poverty ,sadness but with the pleasures that people of all class distinctions could enjoy.This brought about a new found belief and spirit in japan,as the rising class was more accepting of their circumstances and made the best of them,this new found spirit was embraced and captured at the pleasureable kabuki theatre and yoshiwara quarters where actors and courtesans were the main characters eventually more symbols of this spirit of japan emerged and became the primary source of ukiyo-e’s development.
SUBJECT MATTER
Style, class ,creativity ,prosperity, peace thee aesthetics of a beautiful and ravish life among many were revived in art works .Ukiyo-e became a form of admiration of this lifestyle thus it somehow built a relationship between the artists and the consumers which were more often than none the subjects .In time emerged the ukiyo woodblock prints which were inspired by Buddhist literature from china ,but were initially created as a less expensive subs...

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...hind that taught himself how to draw with a reed pen.Unlike Degas who was influenced by the asymmetry and composition cropping of japan prints,Van Gogh was mostly influenced by the flowing brustrokes and the flat space of a painting.
Japanese art,culture and tradition influenced European artist from a wide variety of mixed media, not only in painting and printmaking but also in posters, graphic design, woodcut ,cutlery design the most influenced medium was lithography.These artists embraced Japanese art merely because it freed their minds to what was out there and what was possible.As seen here ukiyo-e developed beyond measures,from black and hite to colour,to artists going back and forth with their subject matter or merely the use of colour whether it be bold r subtle,ukiyo-e grew in quality and eventually in quantity where as it was only recognized in its”prime”