Early to Mid 20th Century Japanese Art

 Early to Mid 20th Century Japanese Art


Hasui, Kawase. Moonlight over Lake Kamo in Sado Island. 1921, Minneapolis Institute of Art, MN, United States.

Koitsu, Tsuchiya. Spring Rain at Matsushima. 1936, National Museum of Asian Art, DC, United States.

Takeji, Fujishima. Shirahama Hot Spring. 1940, Ukiyo-e Search, https://ukiyo-e.org/image/artelino/19043g1

Hiroshi, Yoshida. Kawaguchi Lake, from the series Ten Views of Fuji. 1926, National Museum of Asian Art, DC, United States.

My Thoughts

    Researching these paintings has led me to discover just how beautiful woodblock prints are. After the Ukiyo-e period of art, woodblock prints regained popularity. As such, it's equal parts surprising and appreciable that the technique- which dates back to as early as 220 AD- managed to become so widespread during the early 20th century. While woodblock printing has largely phased out today due to modern printing methods, the style is still practiced by niche artists, keeping it alive even into the 21st century.
    I personally love not only the style, but the colors and views as well. With most focusing on dusk or dawn, it draws out the natural beauty of Japan very well. As anyone who's lived in Alaska for long enough is sure to know, the late nights in the summer where the sun hangs in twilight is a surreal experience, and it's something these paintings seem to remind me of. The range of seasons is another thing which surprises me a bit. It's easy to think of Japan as being a tropical place, but with both its many mountains and islands, it has a diverse climate ranging from subtropical to subarctic. 
    I would love to own some woodblock prints, as I think both the cloth medium used and the art itself represent something beautiful. While I've never been to Japan (and have heard the work/living culture can be incredibly draining), I'd still love to go to see some of the sights it has to offer. If they're as vibrant as "Shirahama Hot Spring" or as tranquil as "Moonlight over Lake Kamo in Sado Island" and "Spring Rain at Matsushima", then I'm sure I would enjoy the trip. And while I'm sad that the practice of woodblock printing has fallen out of style, I believe the current Nihonga style has managed to capture the beauty of these and many more classic paintings and bring them into the new era.

Comments

  1. Chris Kloeber's ART F200x blogApril 27, 2024 at 4:52 PM

    For my non-Western blog, I chose Japanese art as well. I appreciate the opportunity to view several Japanese artists and their artworks in your Early to Mid 20th Century Japanese Art blog. My favorite of the presented wood prints was Lake Kamo under Moonlight, Sado Island, from the Taisho period by Kawase Hasui (1883 - 1957). The serene landscape depicts Lake Kamo surrounded by a soaring mountain ridge flooded by silvery moonlight with the traditional Japanese fishing boats (ashitenma) in the foreground. The print is flooded with a monochromous night blue color. The woodblock print captured the serenity of the nocturnal landscape and displayed a flawless composition. The artist, who passed away at the age of 74 in Tokyo, Japan, had created more than 600 additions to his prints. He also created oil paintings, traditional hanging scrolls, and a few byōbu artworks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. SallieApril 28, 2024 at 2:14 PM

    Hi Elliott, you picked a good theme and time period for your blog. Japanese Art are one of my favorite exhibits to look , especially those that has a poem add into them. If I don't understand the poem, the art piece would usually give hints about what it is about and it turns out really beautiful. What I love about the art pieces you picked is how pop the colors are, which I mean that even though it looks like they are using one color for that section of the piece, they actually use more than one color to make it look like they blend to each other. I love how the drawing is so precise and how much they look like puzzle pieces to me.

    ReplyDelete
  3. LaceyApril 29, 2024 at 1:44 PM

    Hi Elliott! I also chose to feature Japanese art in my blog, specifically the Nihonga movement. I love the works you have chosen and I completely agree with your comparison of the feel of these works to the midnight sun in Alaska. I really love the varying blue tones used in Moonlight over Lake Kamo in Sado Island that give a peaceful night time feel.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Introduction

Image
Welcome to my blog! My name is Elliott Hinz, and I'm a second-year at UAF. While I've lived here in Fairbanks for a few years, I'm originally from the village of Fort Yukon. I'm majoring in business management, so I'm only doing this as a GER, but I hope to still enjoy the class. This is the first art class I'll have taken since elementary school, which I hope doesn't end up becoming an issue. Regardless, I hope to stay on top of this class and have a nice semester! Likewise, I hope everyone else doesn't end up feeling like this class is a drag or a repetitive "comment on 3 other peoples post's" class.  This is artwork done by an Alaskan artist, Ina Timling. I myself have never painted and wouldn't consider myself an artist, but I do enjoy going to art galleries. I especially appreciate local art, and my mom owns several of Timling's paintings, all of which I like. I really appreciate this painting in particular, as it reminds me a
Read more

Romantic Era Blog

Image
My blog will be comparing the Hudson River School style to that of the German Romantic Movement. The Hudson River School style lasted from roughly 1825-1890 before falling out of popularity, with the German Romantic Movement lasting from the late 1700's to the early 1800's. While the Hudson River School specifically focused on renditions of the vast, luscious American landscapes, the German Romantic Movement was more broad in what it covered. The German Romantic Movement focused on emotion and nature, trying to express the "German soul" through stoic and breathtaking paintings of scenes ranging from natural landscapes to impactful portraits.  The Hudson River School Cole, Thomas. The Oxbow . 1836, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York " The Oxbow" presents a grand scene brimming with vibrant green plant life and an expansive background featuring the Connecticut river. Cole, coming from Ohio, found great inspiration in his early 20's to paint grand pa
Read more

Early Modern Blog

Image
  Motley. Archibald. Gettin' Religion . 1948, Whitney Museum, NY.      Motley, a renowned visual artist, created the painting " Gettin' Religion " during 1948. This came shortly after the Harlem Renaissance, which lasted from about 1918-1937. The influence of such a movement can be seen in not just " Gettin' Religion ", but in many of Motley's other works. Born in New Orleans in 1891, Motley lived through the historic Harlem Renaissance and was not just influenced by it, but was a big influencer of it. Motley uses vivid colors and twisting shapes to create an eye catching- if not visually pleasing- scene. In this painting you can see the mingling of both black and white people during a time when segregation was in full swing. The crowded night scene pairs well with the band of jazz players on the left hand side, all the while an unnaturally tall man preaches in the middle of the street. This is all to show just how vibrant and loud the world Motley l
Read more