Hello, here is the latest Styles post on Japonism, which continues our Movement through Modernism.
Maternal Caress, 1891, Mary Cassatt
Drypoint and soft-ground etching, third state, printed in color, 14 3/8 x 10 9/16 in. (36.5 x 27 cm)
Divan Japonais (Japanese Settee), 1893, Henri de Toulouse-LautrecLithographed poster, 81.2 x 60.3 cm
Folies Bergere Fleur De Lotus, 1893, Jules Chéret
Lithography poster for the Ballet Pantomime
During the 1850s, merchants began importing Japanese products to Europe and America. Due to this influx an interest in Japanese art spread. As such, so did the artist’s attraction to mimicking the techniques used in Japanese prints and ceramics. From this was born the Japonism (Japonisme) movement (circa the 1870s). From simple reproductions of prints emerged a style that fused elements from French Impressionism with those from Japaneseukiyo-e. Artists such as V. Van Gogh, P. Gauguin, E. Degas, and M. Cassatt were among those experimenting with the style.
The artists most influenced by use of bold lines and flat surfaces were Parisian printmakers, such as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and Jules Chéret. They transferred its woodcut techniques to lithography. The style prospered through to the early 1900s, because it ignored important aspects of Academy painting, such as asymmetry in the composition and lack of interest in shadows. Japonism inspired the Art Nouveau and Cubism movements.
For more information refer to:
Turner, J. Grove Dictionary of Art. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.
Wichmann, Siegfried. Japonisme: the Japanese influence on Western art since 1858. London: Thames & Hudson, 1999.
Hey Ester! What interesting subjects you're covering. Thanks for sharing. This is exactly the type of stuff I love to read. How cool that I get to learn it from you?!
ReplyDeleteGreg R.
Thanks so much for this Greg, I am glad you are enjoying it!
ReplyDeleteHey! Good stuff. I love reading these. So, can you talk about why products were being imported from Japan to Europe and America particularly in the 1850s?? Why not before? I never knew that Japonisme influenced Art Nouveau but now I really see it!! I have trouble seeing the link to Cubism but you're Ester so I trust you :) Thanks for the great info!
ReplyDelete-Erika
Hi Erika, here are some answers to your questions! Thanks for all the interesting comments!
ReplyDelete- During the 1850s foreign ships began coming to Japan, and in fact before then explorers had reached Japan and other Eastern countries. But it wasn't until after the Meiji Restoration in Japan in 1868 that these merchants and explorers were able to export products from Japan. In the simplest terms, the Meiji Restoration was a social and political restructuring that pushed Japan to be a less isolated nation. So basically in a nutshell- after this occurred alliances were made and the money followed, it helped that people in the West were really interested in the "foreign" products from the East.
- As for Cubism, the influence there was not as noticeable, but its mainly the technical focus on flat shapes and colors as well as the use of dark lines. (as seen in the ukiyo-e woodcuts).