Saturday, 18 April 2020

114 - Nishikawa Sukenobu: On the Wisdom of Animals


Nishikawa Sukenobu, Ukiyo-e
Nishikawa Sukenobu: On the Wisdom of Animals

Nishikawa Sukenobu (1671-1750) was one of the earliest ukiyo-e artists; it is possible he was Harunobu's teacher, but that cannot be verified.

I have not been able to establish from which exact year this print is, but the colour print was still not invented.


Saturday, 11 April 2020

113 - Shōtei: Katsushika


Takahashi Shōtei, Katsushika, Shin-hanga
Shōtei: Katsushika

Takahashi Shōtei (1871-1945) is considered as the creator of a style called shin-hanga. That means "new prints" and refers to a revival of ukiyo-e and is, in fact, evolved ukiyo-e.

The term was coined by publisher Watanabe Shōzaburō in 1915. He wanted to mark that it was not commercial mass art as ukiyo-e had been; contrary to ukiyo-e, it was also directed mainly to a western audience. Shin-hanga never became popular in Japan.


Saturday, 4 April 2020

112 - Utamaro: Three Lucky New Year Dreams


Benigirai-e
Utamaro: Three Lucky New Year Dreams

This is a Benigirai-e by Utamaro from about 1800: Three Lucky New Year Dreams: Fuji, Falcon, Eggplant.

Benigirai-e translates to "picture hating red". It's a style where the artist avoids using red or reddish tones. It was fashionable in the 1780s.

Saturday, 28 March 2020

111 - Tsukimaro: Painting


Ukiyo-e. Tsukimaro. Painting.
Tsukimaro: Painting

Kitagawa Tsukimaro (1804-1836) was Utamaro's student. This is a beautiful painting (colour on silk) in a style where ukiyo-e has absorbed some Western and Chinese elements. A rare combination.

The girl is not Japanese, but clearly Chinese. Probably it is Yang Guifei, concubine of the Tang emperor Xuanzong, who ruled China 712-756. She was known as China's most beautiful woman. The emperor is said to have neglected his empire for her sake, which caused Tang China to decline. She ended up executed by strangulation after the An Lushan rebellion. Her life is the subject of a large number of Chinese dramas and poems.


Saturday, 21 March 2020

110 - Nobukazu: A princess and her guard


Ukiyo-e. Nobukazu.
Nobukazu: A princess and her guard

A  princess and her guard by Nobukazu. Not much is known about this print, but it is probably from about 1890.

Note the two black spots over the eyes of the princess. They are painted eyebrows. The beauty ideal of the times dictated that the real eyebrows were shaved off and replaced with painted lines extremely high up on the forehead.


Saturday, 14 March 2020

109 - Yoshitoshi: Komori no godanme


Ukiyo-e. Bats. Chūshingura. Yoshitoshi.
Yoshitoshi: Komori no godanme

Komori no godanme (Bats in the Fifth Act of Chūshingura [Treasury of Loyal Retainers]), from an untilted series known as Yoshitoshi ryakuga (Sketches by Yoshitoshi) 1880-1883.

In the past in Japan, as well as in China, bats were symbols of good luck. But the modern Japanese view is influenced by western tradition, where bats have a more ominous meaning - so the modern symbolic meaning of a bat is more complex. During the Edo period, however, the old view of the bat as an entirely good omen prevailed.


Ukiyo-e-of-the-Week is back!

During these almost two years since I stopped publishing new material here, I have received inummerable emails asking me to revive this blog. For long I resisted; among a large number of other activities, I simply had not time enough. However, a couple of passionate readers offered to donate some money for the project if I reconsidered, and making this a paying activity would change the preconditions. I agreed to revive the blog for a test period, after that we may see. Upon their advice, I will also put up a link for voluntary donations i Bitcoin. Donations are optional, but be aware that also very small donations make a difference.

Posting returns today, and I will try to keep it to Saturdays, just as before. I will, however, extend the subject of the blog beyond ukiyo-e in a strict sense and include some works from the Shin Hanga and Sosaku Hanga Movements, both of which can be said to be offsprings of ukiyo-e.

Just as before, every post will feature a print, sometimes a painting, and I will accompany it with a brief text. Sometimes the text will be only the name of the artist, the work and when it was made, but mostly I will try to elaborate briefly about artist and motive, sometimes with a short introduction to some element of Japanese history or folklore. I like to see this blog as a combination of entertainment and education: enjoy beautiful art and learn something about the rich Japanese culture at the same time.