| BACK |
Utagawa Kuniyoshi
Conceptual Framework: Artist
Utagawa Kuniyoshi , 1797 1861
Kuniyoshi Utagawa is one of the outstanding Ukiyo-e artists of the late
Edo period in the 19th century. He was born in Edo (Tokyo) in 1797 - when
Europe was still under the influence of the shock waves of the French revolution.
Information about the childhood of Kuniyoshi is a bit in the mist. His father
was a silk-dyer and the given name of the boy was Yoshisaburo. The young
Yoshisaburo apparently developed a passion for drawing at a very early age.
At the age of 14, he joined the famous Utagawa School, and then headed by
the great master Toyokuni Utagawa (1769 - 1825). Although Kuniyoshi designed
prints in a wide variety of subject areas (kabuki, women, landscapes, nature
prints, humorous or satirical scenes, cat prints, 'surimono', 'shunga',
and book illustrations), he is most recognized for his prints depicting
warriors, scenes of historical figures and events, and legends.
Conceptual Framework: World
The distinctly Japanese art of ukiyo-e arose from the urban culture of Edo
(Tokyo). In 1853, Commander Perry arrived in Edo Bay to negotiate with the
government of Japan on behalf of the USA. After some fifty years of unsuccessful
effort by western powers, this effort appeared foolish at the time. Ultimately,
it however led to the end of the policy of Sakoku - the "secluded or
closed country" -, which had continued, since 1633. At this time when
Japanese political and military power was in the hands of the Shoguns who
isolated the country from the rest of the world, carvers were working in
woodblocks to create popular scenes of theatres, restaurants, teahouses,
geisha and courtesans. These were the newspapers, magazines and hip-hop
graffiti of the 17th c. They could also be seen as the billboard ads of
the day because many of them were in fact advertisements. They were posters
advertising theatre performances and brothels, or portraits of popular actors
and teahouse girls.
Conceptual Framework: Artwork
The style of Japanese woodblock print was called Ukiyo-e. This meant ‘pictures
of the floating world’ and means that the subject matter depicted
was ephemeral (here today and gone tomorrow). The artists used everyday
subjects that were fashionable and topical e.g. depictions of fashionable
young women or famous courtesans, actors from the Japanese popular theatre,
the Kabuki, genre scenes, familiar landscapes and flowers.
Kuniyoshi achieved his commercial and artistic breakthrough in 1827 with
the first 6 designs of the series The 108 heroes of the Suikoden. The series
was about 108 rebels and honorary bandits, based on an old Chinese novel
from the 14th century. The story was very popular in Japan.
The artist continued with this pattern of success and concentrated on print
subjects of warriors and heroes. He was even nicknamed Warrior print Kuniyoshi.
When the Tenpô reforms of 1842 banned prints of beautiful women and
kabuki actors, prints depicting warriors and legends became the life-blood
of artists like Kuniyoshi. As a result he issued several large series of
warrior prints in the 1840s.
The artist loved animals and especially cats. One of his students remembered,
that there were always a dozen cats in his home. Cats can be found on quite
a few of his prints - sometimes a bit hidden in a corner. Kuniyoshi prints
with cats are highly coveted objects for today's collectors.
Since the early 1840s, Kuniyoshi prints show some influence of Western style
painting and printmaking. The artist possessed a collection of Western engraving
prints. He admired them as much as the European Impressionist artists would
admire Japanese woodblock prints later. Western influence can be found in
Kuniyoshi prints in several ways: the use of the Western perspective, the
way he designed clouds and the way he tried to show the effects of light
and shadow.
Artmaking Practice: Ideas
The ideas behind these Japanese woodblock prints were to give pleasure to
ordinary men and women. Because these prints could be produced in large
numbers, rather than a single painting, they were a ‘popular’
art form and accessible to all the population, just as today we consume
magazines that deal with popular culture. There was a “throw-away”
aspect to these works. Initially they would be displayed in the home with
other decorative objects such as porcelain vases or lacquer trays. But after
a while they would be discarded and another more up-to-date and fashionable
image displayed.
Artmaking Practice: Actions
A woodblock print was cut from cherry wood and for each colour printed a
different block was used. The design was carved so it stood out in relief.
The printing inks were rolled onto the block, which was then placed, on
a sheet of rice paper and the back of the paper rubbed until the ink was
transferred from the block.
Japanese woodblock prints were an old and common art form in Japan, such
as those of Hiroshige's landscapes and the more varied forms of the Utagawa
School were on sale in the streets of Edo, which would later be called Tokyo.
These Japanese contemporary prints of this time were carried back to the
western world by westerners.
http://optometry.berkeley.edu http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Utagawa_Kuniyoshi