Non Western Blog - Edo Period -Japan

The Edo period can be considered one of the richest time periods for Japanese arts. The term Edo refers to the city of Edo, which is now known as Tokyo during the time period of 16 to 1868. During this time period the Tokugawa Shogun ruled Japan from the urban style capital. Wide forms of art came from the Edo time period such as, screen paintings, scrolls, ceramics, textiles and woodblock prints. 

The Great Wave off Kanagawa - 1831


The Great Wave off Kanagawa is a famous Japanese woodblock painting created by Katsushika Hokusai in the early 19th century. The wave print is apart of a series of other paintings called "Thirty-Six views of Mount Fuji" which shows the mountain from various different angles and views. The painting depicts a towering wave that is about to crash onto three small boats. I have always loved this painting and I have many different styles of it. The color and how sharp the waves, are some of my favorite features. I also love this painting for it shows you the unpredictability of nature, and that even with a clear sky there can be massive waves that come crashing down on you. 

The Fifty-Three Stations of Tokaido  -(1797-1858)
This woodblock print painting is apart of a 55 print series called "The Fifty-Three Stations of Tokaido" the series of paintings are paintings that feature scenes from one of the 53 stations along the Tokaido. The painting is created by Utagawa Hiroshige. The artist felt that the prints are important because they capture the importance of each and every stop.  The prints are incredibly notable for their attention to detail and the use of color and composition. I love the gradations and ombre type of effect that the artist uses. It creates depth an d perspective, almost like everything is layered on top of each other to make it seem that there is real distance in the objects behind the mountains. 

The Fisherwomen of Awabi - (1603-1868)
"Two Women" is a woodblock painting that was created by Kitagawa Utamaro during the Edo Period. Kitagawa was known for his views on painting beautiful women. This print shows two young women sitting together on a mat, one is holding a fan and the other is holding a letter. The artist is very notable for the way the artist uses delicate lines, soft colors and the fine attention to detail in capturing the facial emotions. The artist wanted to focus on capturing the scenes of everyday life in Japan. I love how the artist uses negative space to help you keep your focus on the two women. When you look at them you want to examine every detail. 


Japan, 1800–1900 A.D.: Chronology: Heilbrunn Timeline of art history: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/10/eaj.html

Japan, 1800–1900 A.D.: Chronology: Heilbrunn Timeline of art history: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. (n.d.). Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/10/eaj.html

Wikimedia Foundation. (2023, April 6). Utamaro. Wikipedia. Retrieved April 30, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utamaro





Comments

  1. Juliana MondelliMay 1, 2023 at 8:00 PM

    Hello Sydney,
    I also really like the Great Wave off Kanagawa painting because of the story it seems to tell. The colors and the lines just bring it all together to make a beautiful masterpiece. The painting Two Women is interesting to me because I wonder why Utamaro chose to have one woman holding a letter while the other has a fan. An interesting fact I found about Utagawa Hiroshige is that he was paid very little for each series he did, yet he still continued on painting.

    “Utagawa Hiroshige.” The Art Institute of Chicago, www.artic.edu/artists/34946/utagawa-hiroshige. Accessed 2 May 2023.

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  2. Abdurahman HassanMay 2, 2023 at 12:37 AM

    Sydney,

    These 3 Japanese paintings that you chose for your exhibit are extremely appealing. I found "The Great Wave of Kanagawa" painting to somewhat be my favorite from exhibit on Japanese art, since it reveals the different waves at different heights and creates realistic experience for observers to ponder about. But when you look at "Two Women", the images of the "Two Women" don't appear to as clear as the other two in your selected exhibit. Nevertheless, the differences between the paintings demonstrates the versatile styles that are a part of the Japanese world of art. How people are presented in Japanese art paintings like the ones above gives observers the desire to learn more about Japanese art and culture.

    Abdurahman

    ReplyDelete
  3. JeksMay 2, 2023 at 12:49 AM

    I greatly enjoy all three of the paintings you picked for this blog, and found your commentary insightful and educational! The varying emotions and atmosphere of the pieces really helped display the wide range of art in the Edo Period. I especially like the inclusion of 'The Fisherwomen of Awabi', as I feel that culturally we often focus on either landscapes or portraits of men, while portraits of women only gain attention through a sexual lens. The mentioned piece does not follow this pattern, instead showing the two women as just people, which I really like.

    ReplyDelete

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