Japanese Ukiyo-e Appreciation Series 2: Fan Painting

Author: Wu Guiyu
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2002-10-01
Features: Ukiyo-e, referring to the genre of folk paintings from the Edo period in Japan. The term "ukiyo" originates from Buddhist language, meaning the myriad phenomena of the world, or the various social scenes one sees and hears. In the late 17th century, it was adopted by Japanese scholars 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 on beautiful women, performer paintings depicting Kabuki actors, as well as landscapes, flowers and birds, insects and plants, and animal paintings. Among these, the beautiful women paintings and performer paintings, which are collectively known as the two major themes of ukiyo-e, are renowned for their unique charm, attracting widespread attention from people around the world and being widely collected by major museums globally. As a master of ukiyo-e, Katsushika Hokusai's works covered a vast range. Landscape paintings were his masterpiece, in addition to which, his beautiful women paintings and flower-and-bird paintings also included many renowned works. During the Edo period, folding fans were popular summer items for cooling and shade in the common folk, leading to a surge in the popularity of fan paintings in the Japanese art world. When Hokusai was active in the Japanese art scene, he broke from the traditional style of fan paintings, which primarily focused on performer and beautiful women paintings, and instead added beautiful women folk paintings, landscapes, and flower-and-bird paintings. He also put considerable effort into the color composition of his works. The introduction of these new themes reflected the tastes of the Japanese people during the Edo period.