Senior Library Books
Resource Key
LEVEL 1
brief, basic information laid out in an easy-to-read format. May use informal language. (Includes most news articles)
LEVEL 2
provides additional background information and further reading. Introduces some subject-specific language.
LEVEL 3
lengthy, detailed information. Frequently uses technical/subject-specific language. (Includes most analytical articles)
Databases
- Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre Plus This link opens in a new window
- JSTOR This link opens in a new window
Key Terms
- Ukiyo - e Ukiyo-e, (Japanese: “pictures of the floating world”) one of the most important genres of art of the Tokugawa period (1603–1867) in Japan.
- Hokusai Hokusai, in full Katsushika Hokusai, professional names Shunrō, Sōri, Kakō, Taito, Gakyōjin, Iitsu, and Manji, (born October 1760, Edo [now Tokyo], Japan—died May 10, 1849, Edo), Japanese master artist and printmaker of the ukiyo-e (“pictures of the floating world”) school.
- Jeff Wall eff Wall is renowned for large-format photographs with subject matter that ranges from mundane corners of the urban environment to elaborate tableaux that take on the scale and complexity of nineteenth-century history paintings.
- Toshusai Sharaku Tōshūsai Sharaku, original name Saitō Jūrōbei, pseudonym Sharaku , (flourished 1794–95, , Japan), one of the most original Japanese artists of the Ukiyo-e movement (paintings and prints of the “floating world”).
- Vincent Van Gogh Vincent van Gogh, in full Vincent Willem van Gogh, (born March 30, 1853, Zundert, Netherlands—died July 29, 1890, Auvers-sur-Oise, near Paris, France), Dutch painter, generally considered the greatest after Rembrandt, and one of the greatest of the Post-Impressionists.
- Japonisme After Japanese ports reopened to trade with the West in 1853, a tidal wave of foreign imports flooded European shores. On the crest of that wave were woodcut prints by masters of the ukiyo-e school which transformed Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art by demonstrating that simple, transitory, everyday subjects from “the floating world” could be presented in appealingly decorative ways.
Introduction
Ukiyo-e, (Japanese: “pictures of the floating world”) one of the most important genres of art of the Tokugawa period (1603–1867) in Japan. The style is a mixture of the realistic narrative of the emaki (“picture scrolls”) produced in the Kamakura period and the mature decorative style of the Momoyama and Tokugawa periods. The ukiyo-e style also has about it something of both native and foreign realism.
Screen paintings were the first works to be done in the style. These depicted aspects of the entertainment quarters (euphemistically called the “floating world”) of Edo (modern Tokyo) and other urban centres. Common subjects included famous courtesans and prostitutes, kabuki actors and well-known scenes from kabuki plays, and erotica. More important than screen painting, however, were wood-block prints, ukiyo-e artists being the first to exploit that medium. A new interest in the urban everyday world and its market motivated the swift development of ukiyo-e prints designed for mass consumption.
Brief History
- Ukiyo-e woodblock prints (c.1670-1900). (n.d.). Encyclopedia of East Asian Art. Retrieved from: http://www.visual-arts-cork.com/east-asian-art/ukiyo.htm
In Japanese art, the term Ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") is commonly used to describe woodblock prints and paintings from the period (c.1670-1900). - Gavreau, D. (2017). A brief history of Japanese art prints (also known as Ukiyo-e). Retrieved from http://emptyeasel.com/2008/04/24/a-brief-history-of-japanese-art-prints-also-known-as-ukiyo-e/Japanese art prints, or Ukiyo-e (which literally means “pictures of the floating world”) have become an increasingly popular art form in the Western world
- Minneapolis Institute of Arts (2005). Ukiyo-e. Retrieved from: http://archive.artsmia.org/art-of-asia/explore/explore-collection-ukiyo-e.cfmDuring the Edo Period (1615-1868), a uniquely Japanese art from developed known as ukiyo-e, or "pictures of the floating world." A Buddhist concept, ukiyo originally suggested the sadness (uki) of life (yo).
Techniques and Processes
- Kidswebjapan.com. (n.d.) Retrieved from: http://web-japan.org/kidsweb/virtual/ukiyoe/ukiyoe01.html
The word ukiyo refers to the world of common people and e means "picture." Thus when ukiyo-e first emerged in the late sixteenth century, it usually depicted everyday life in the city of Kyoto - AsianArt.org (2012).The Ukiyo-e (woodblock) printing process. Retrieved from http://education.asianart.org/explore-resources/background-information/ukiyo-e-woodblock-printing-processUkiyo-e (literally “pictures of the floating world”) is the name given to paintings and prints primarily depicting the transitory world of the Yoshiwara—the licensed pleasure quarter and center of social life in the city of Edo (present-day Tokyo) during the Edo period (1615–1868) in Japan
- Kumon Museum of Children's Ukiyo-e. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.kumon-ukiyoe.jp/en/flow.phpOne of the distinguishing characteristics in the production of ukiyo-e was the division of labor among the eshi, the horishi and the surishi under the supervision of a hanmoto, the publisher.
- Khanacademy.org. (2017). Retrieved from: https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/art-japan/edo-period/a/the-evolution-of-ukiyo-e-and-woodblock-printsUkiyo-e (literally “pictures of the floating world”) is the name given to paintings and prints primarily depicting the transitory world of the licensed pleasure quarters (Yoshiwara), the theater and pleasure quarters of Edo, present-day Tokyo, Japan.
- MITCSAIL. (2016). The production of Japanese woodblock prints. Retrieved from http://mercury.lcs.mit.edu/~jnc/prints/process.html
The production of classic Japanese woodblock prints is a fairly complex process, involving a number of steps, each usually performed by a different person, one skilled in that particular step.
Cultural Significance
- Metropolitan Museum. ( 2017). Art of the pleasure quarters and the Ukiyo-e style. Retrieved from: http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/plea/hd_plea.htmThe Edo period was a time of relative peace administered by a conservative military government.