Japanese Ukiyo-e Appreciation · First Series: Beauties and Courtesans Painting (6)

Author: Wu Guiyu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: Ukiyo-e, which refers to the genre of folk paintings from the Edo period of Japan. The term "ukiyo" originates from Buddhist terminology, meaning the myriad phenomena of the world, or the various social realities one sees and hears. By the late 17th century, it was adopted by Japanese scholars and artists in the field of art, giving rise to ukiyo-e. The production method of ukiyo-e involved first creating more expensive ink paintings, followed by the emergence of the widely known woodblock prints. Ukiyo-e includes folk paintings centered around beautiful women, artist portraits depicting Kabuki actors, as well as landscapes, flowers, birds, insects, grasses, and plants. Among these, the beautiful women and artist portraits, which are collectively known as the two major themes of ukiyo-e, are celebrated for their unique charm, attracting widespread attention from people around the world and being widely collected by major museums globally. Katsushika Hokusai (active 1756–1780) was a devoted artist who followed the style of Katsushika Hokusai. The beautiful women he depicted were highly similar to Hokusai's works and were deeply loved by the public. In his later years, he became renowned for his woodblock prints of erotic scenes, as well as for creating numerous new ink ukiyo-e works, which inadvertently added even more brilliance to the golden age of Japanese woodblock prints. This volume primarily features a collection of Hokusai's works of great significance in the history of ukiyo-e—Costumed Geisha. The artist adopted a plain, patternless background to highlight the colorful New Year costumes of the renowned geishas from various brothels.