stranici, uz relativno nisku cijenu.
Glavne teme u ukiyo-e slikarstvu bile su svakodnevni život, kurtizane (gejše), kabuki glumci, krajolici i priroda, mitologija, povijest i ljepotice. Kroz ove motive prepoznaje se duh vremena, ali i društveni i kulturni razvoj Japana.
Jedan od najznačajnijih ukiyo-e slikara bio je Katsushika Hokusai. Njegovo najpoznatije djelo je serija drvoreza “36 pogleda na planinu Fuji”, u kojoj se ističe slika “Veliki val na Kanagawi” koja je postala simbol Japana.
Osim Hokusaija, važan slikar ovog pravca je i Utagawa Hiroshige, čiji je najpoznatiji rad serija “53 postaje na Tokaido putu”. Ova serija prikazuje pejzaže i različite lokalitete na putu između Kyota i Eda, a smatra se jednim od najboljih primjera japanskog pejzažnog slikarstva.
Ukiyo-e slikarstvo je ostavilo trajen utjecaj na razvoj zapadnog umjetničkog izraza, posebice impresionizma i postimpresionizma. Njegova inovativnost u korištenju perspektive, svjetlosti i boja ostala je inspiracija za mnoge umjetnike širom svijeta.
affordable price.
The term ukiyo-e roughly translates to “pictures of the fleeting world”, with uki meaning fleeting, yo meaning world, and e meaning picture. The themes and inspiration were no longer sought from heroic battles of the past, popular literary works, religion, or nature, but rather from everyday life events. Ukiyo-e prints actually attempt to capture a fleeting moment. The subjects became the pleasures of city life – pictures of beautiful women, geishas, erotic themes, and various themes related to theater life, portraits of famous kabuki actors, people from all walks of life, sumo wrestlers, and later, at its peak, landscape paintings.
Suzuki Harunobu, Two Girls
History
The woodblock printing technique used to create prints on paper or fabric was already known in China in the 6th century, as well as in some other cultures, but multicolored woodblock printing as an artistic form reached its peak in Japan in the 18th and 19th centuries. In China, woodblocks were used for reproductive purposes. The reproduction of existing images was already common practice, while in Japan, the technique was used specifically for creating new images.
Japanese artists skillfully combined the technique of woodblock printing with traditional painting and perfected it. Ukiyo-e painters use the so-called parallel perspective, where parallel lines in the subject being depicted and on the image remain parallel, unlike linear perspective, where they converge towards an imaginary center. They emphasize black and white contrasts, as well as the areas left unpainted and those that are painted, and are characterized by the absence of three-dimensional modeling using lighter and darker shading.
The first printed works were illustrations for books and albums of romances, old stories, and classical poems. The prints were simple, done in black and white technique. The first prominent artist was Hishikawa Moronobu (1630? – 1694), also known as the founder of ukiyo-e.
Utagawa Hiroshige, Swallows on a Branch with Peach Blossoms.
Gradually, the technique became more refined and used more frequently. and effects. During the Edo period, there was even a restriction on the use of colors, ranging from 10 to 16, and in the second half of the 19th century, when there was no longer such a restriction, the number of colors reached 90.
The production of ukiyo-e prints gradually became a commercial art form. In addition to the artists, the publisher played a significant role, often overseeing and initiating the business, financing production, managing sales and distribution, similar to modern publishing and film production. Successful works were reissued, and Hiroshige’s publisher even released nineteen editions of his most successful series.
Each print was not unlimitedly reproduced, but only up to a maximum of one hundred copies, as the wooden blocks would deform after that number. Relatively few high-quality blocks have been preserved to this day.
Kitagawa Utamaro, Flowers of Edo: Girl Reciting with a Shamisen.
Kitagawa Utamaro, Three Models: O-Hisa, O-Kita, and O-Hina.
Toshusai Sharaku, Two Kabuki Actors: Ban Zenji and Sawamura Yodogoro
Katsushika Hokusai, Peonies and canary.
Utagawa Hiroshige, from the series of paintings One Hundred Views of Edo – Plum Blossoms over Shin-Ohashi Bridge.
However, the opening of Japan to the world had its price. The adoption of European colors and perspective set back Japanese woodblock prints. Ukiyo-e paintings continued to be made until the end of the 19th century, and even during the 20th century, but that was already a decadent phase.
Manufacturing process
Behind every color woodblock print are three masters: one creates the design, another carves the wooden block, and the third does the printing. Each part was done by a separate expert. The artist would create a sketch of the same size as the final image using ink and deliver it to the carver. They would make a copy on thin, transparent paper (hanshita-e), which would then be transferred to a cherry wood block. This was done by covering the surface of the wood with adhesive paste, onto which the paper with the sketch was placed and left to dry a bit. Then, I’m a woodcarver who presses paper onto the surface of wood with my fingers in order to create a print.
The process of carving a wooden block was done by a carver who would use a knife and chisel to engrave the design onto the wooden block. They would carve around the lines of the drawing, removing all the wood in between, and create a high relief block, called the key block. It was very important for the carver to do a good job because all the delicate lines, such as the outline of the nose or face, would be carved in one stroke and mistakes couldn’t be corrected. The importance of their work is reflected in the fact that the apprenticeship for carvers lasted up to 10 years. Cherry wood with straight grain was used because it is soft enough for carving.
Then the plate with the drawing would be given to the printer who would ink the raised lines and make the first print on high-quality paper, called the key print. After that, as many prints as the artist planned for colors would be made, and each color would be applied by hand. These were the templates that the carver would use for each print. He made a separate wooden board. Of course, the publisher would always encourage the artist to use as few colors as possible, that is, as few wooden boards, to reduce costs. This forced artists to achieve stunning painting effects with a very limited range of colors.
Once all the necessary boards were made, they were given to the printer for printing the final product. He would touch the mulberry paper with ink blocks and transfer the prints. The last block would be reused to print the black (border) lines. Precise alignment of colors along the lines required exceptional accuracy from the printer.
Handmade paper (washi) was used for traditional woodcuts, which was custom-made for each image. Its basic composition is mulberry wood, so it is quite different from Western linen or wood paper.
The skill of the printer also determined whether all the color blocks would show the desired effect and whether the colors would remain coordinated and aligned.
Until 1860.
yamishida) samo dvije godine i zatim nestao bez traga. Sharakuovi radovi karakteriziraju dramatični prikazi glumaca, obilje tamnih boja i izražena ekspresija. Njegove slike su vrlo cijenjene zbog svoje jedinstvenosti i misterioznosti. Sharakuov identitet i pravi razlozi za njegov brzi nestanak još uvijek su predmet spekulacija i teorija.
Još jedan poznati umjetnik tog doba bio je Katsushika Hokusai (1760. – 1849.), poznat po seriji drvoreza “36 veduta planine Fuji” u kojoj su prikazani različiti pogledi na planinu Fuji. Hokusai je također stvorio poznati drvorez “Veliki val nad Fukushimom” koji prikazuje oluju i veliki val koji nadolazi.
Ovi umjetnici su svojim radovima ostavili trajan pečat na japanskoj umjetnosti i njihovi radovi i danas inspiriraju i oduševljavaju ljude diljem svijeta.
A few months ago, he mysteriously disappeared. Most often, he painted portraits of kabuki actors as individual portraits or with two actors in one picture. The expressions on the actors’ faces are very powerful, sometimes exaggerated, almost like caricatures, and perfectly depict the character, emotions, and mental state that the actor expresses. He also painted several pictures of sumo wrestlers.
Since nothing is known about his birth, life, and death, several theories have emerged about him. Some believe he was an actor in the theater, others that he was actually a publisher. One theory is that Utamaro is hiding behind his name, while others believe he could be Hokusai himself. Today, he is considered one of the greatest painters alongside Hokusai and Utamaro.
Katsushika Hokusai (1760 – 1849) is one of the most talented painters of the Edo period, and many consider him the greatest Japanese painter. Throughout his long life, he did not exclusively paint ukiyo-e pictures, but was also excellent in other techniques (Rimpa style, Chinese painting, and he even experimented with new styles). Nike of Western painting and perspective). His ukiyo-e paintings were predominantly of landscapes.
The most famous series of paintings that he created is called Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, where he depicted Mount Fuji from different angles and in different circumstances. He worked on this series for seven years. The most famous painting from this series is The Great Wave off Kanagawa. The success of the series is evident in the fact that the original series of thirty-six paintings was expanded to include ten more paintings. Soon after, he repeated the series under the title One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji. Other notable series include Journey to the Waterfalls of the Provinces, and Unusual Views of Famous Bridges of the Provinces.
During his lifetime, he created around 30,000 drawings. The main characteristic of his life were numerous changes. He moved many times, and often changed his artistic name, which reflected the changes in his life and his way and style of painting. It is thanks to him that during the time when pictures of courtesans and landscapes dominated, he brought a new perspective by introducing scenes from everyday life and landscapes.
leads to a new genre – landscape painting (fukeiga) – in which the most beautiful works of ukiyo-e will be realized.
Katsushika Hokusai, The Great Wave off Kanagawa.
Utagawa Hiroshige, from the series Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido.
Expressing the grandeur of nature that surrounds and enriches human life was the main characteristic of Hiroshige’s landscape woodblock prints. In addition to landscape images, he made several excellent works in the so-called kachoga genre, paintings of flowers and birds.
Another famous series he made was called One Hundred Views of Edo. Utagawa Hiroshige was highly respected during his lifetime, and his reputation grew especially when Europeans became acquainted with his works. It can be safely said that the tradition, techniques, and expressive power of classical ukiyo-e died along with Hiroshige.
Ukiyo-e art is in complete contrast to the traditional sublime style of Japanese sacred and courtly art because it alludes to the transience of human existence that As a consequence, it entails hedonistic indulgence in the moment. However, today it provides us with insight into the everyday life of the Far East of that time. Emil Preetorius, a renowned connoisseur of ukiyo-e, says: About Japanese life, about the pathetically sublime and prosaically low, about the lyrically sentimental and crudely humorous, about its jesters, heroes and saints, about its gods and demons, about its elegant ladies, girls and refined courtesans, and besides that, about the unique beauties of a country rich in islands in all the moods of the seasons, nothing could speak with more penetrating vitality than the art of color woodblock printing.