Art Illustrations
#art history #books #Hiroshige #Japan #ukiyo-e #woodcuts
All images © Utagawa Hiroshige, courtesy of Taschen
From the 17th to the 19th century, a genre of Japanese art called ukiyo-e—translating into “pictures of the floating world” – centered on colorful depictions of landscapes, artists and sumo wrestlers, and scenes from folklore and history in vivid woodcuts. Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), one of the most renowned artists in the tradition – and one of the last – was famous for his chromatic views depicting recognizable features like cherry blossoms and the ubiquitous snow-capped cone of Mt. Fuji. His final project, an ambitious collection of 120 woodblock illustrations, became known as One Hundred Famous Views of Edo and depicts what is now Tokyo through the seasons.
A new reprint from Taschen pairs each of the artist’s notable prints with text by authors Lorenz Bichler and Melanie Trede, celebrating the landscape, the city’s history, and Hiroshige’s contribution to ukiyo-e. The authors highlight how colorful depictions of the country have helped define the Western world’s visual interpretation of Japan, referencing the influence of Japonism on European decorative arts and painters such as Vincent van Gogh, Edgar Degas and James McNeill Whistler. The new edition is presented in a slipcase and bound in a traditional Japanese style known as fixed blade binding in which a series of holes are punched in the cover and the spine is elegantly bound with string.
Slated for release next month, you can pre-order One One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: The Complete Plates on the Taschen site. You might also enjoy Hiroshige’s instructional shadow puppet prints and look back at a recent landscape exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago. ukiyo e archive.
#art history #books #Hiroshige #Japan #ukiyo-e #woodcuts
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