Japonisme

Japanese ports reopened to trade with the West in 1853 and again in 1854, thanks to the US Navy Commodore Perry who forced the Tokugawa Goverment. However the trade remained very limited until (1867/68), the Togugawa era found an end in the Meiji Restoration.
>Japan opened up things that were hidden.

On the crest of that wave there were woodcut prints by masters of the Ukiyo-e which transformed a simple, transitory, everyday subjects from ''the floating world'' this was very appealing and decorative that inspired the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist. 

''The Great Wave off Kanagawa'' (15x10 inch)- Katsushika Hokusai

This is one of Hokusai's most famous prints. This image represents fears and fashion, the wave looks like fingers that are coming out from it and pick up something, in fact it represents a creepy scene. It's made up of a lot of layered images, one layer on top of another. Each colour is printed on a different wooden block. It has a lack of perspective, flat area of strong colour, compositional freedom achieved by placing subject off-centre, there's pattern, bold outlines and cropped objects.

Hokusai was born in 1760 and lived in (Yedo) -Tokyo. He was adopted, taken by a family mirror makers. He used to lend books and paint, then he became a block cutter  (fashioning woodblocks for prints), then he became a professional print designer.

There are loads of imitations of the use of the wave, like Umbrellas, fans, metal bookmark, watches and so much others.


They also converted the Fuji Wave into cartoons in different type of media (Political cartoon-newspaper, comics, graffiti, modern art, tattoos, etc.):



The author states that the woodblock Japanese prints used to be done by this technique:

"A woodblock print image is first designed by the artist on paper and then transferred to a thin, partly transparent paper. Following the lines on the paper, now pasted to a wooden block usually of cherry wood, the carver chisels and cuts to create the original in negative—with the lines and areas to be colored raised in relief. Ink is applied to the surface of the woodblock. Rubbing a round pad over the back of a piece of paper laid over the top of the inked board makes a print." (Department of Asian Art 2003, 5th Par.)


This is one of the artists that was influenced by Japanese Print in (1898) 'Chase' by William Merrit
This is a female portrait, oil on canvas, 'aka girl in blue kimono' with the dimensions of 144.78 x 113.03cm.
The blue kimono is the first thing that the eyes see, as the artist placed her in a central point of attraction. There's a lot of use with brush strokes and bright colours. The lady is positioned in a very comfortable way on the couch with cushions one on each side that balances the composition of the painting. There's the use of bright white that contrasts with the rest of the kimono complexion. There's a lot of perspective and shadows especially on the blue cushion (on the right) that gives a satin rich look, when on the other hand the grey cushion gives a dull matte look.  



 There was the World's Fair China in Paris Exposition in 1867, where the Japanese arts and crafts were introduced to the culture of the West. As also Japan were getting influenced from the West.

Exposition Universelle in (1867)

Exposition of Universelle

Parisians came into contact with Japanese arts and crafts when Japan took a
pavilion at the worlds fair of 1867.

There were also an orientation of bric- a -brac that included fans, kimonos, lacquers, bronzes and silks.


Siegfried Bing helped introducing the Japanese Art and Artworks to the West. He was a dealer and always aimed to raise the level of crafts in the West. When S.Bing also introduced Art Nouveau in Paris, this is to show that in Japan there was little difference between art and applied art. During the second empire he became well known and famous manufacturer, as he managed to manufacture the business of Ceramics that was of his father.




In 1895 he opened his gallery which he named 'Maison de l'Art Nouveau' in Paris.

In the gallery he designed all rooms in Art Nouveau style. He also included fabrics designed by William Morris 

Bedroom

Dining Room

Louise Comfort Tiffany (1848-1933) was another American designer that was best known for his Stained Glass work, designed in an Art Nouveau style. His designs were applied on lamp shades, glass windows, etc. The style was influenced by nature, the Art Nouveau is very decorative and a colourful style. He also had the skills working on jewellery design, ceramics, enamels and metal work.


All works that are shown below are all from studios, museums, exhibitions and so many others.









He is very creative and ambitious to create beauty with his talent. He also experimented with painting on glass. After years of experimentation he made a series of revolutionary techniques in glass making, which he integrated with colours, textures and also created types of hand-blown glass which he called them 'Favrile'.


This is one of the Floriform Art glass Vase by L.C.Tiffany,
it's a slender stem that supports the organic body.

The Art Nouveau created a new style across Europe, Bauhaus unleashed away the curling sexual contentious art, with smart field cities that were splashed with colour and vitality as idealistic architects. Art Nouveau is a story of beauty and an ugly time, it discovered psychology in emotions.

Artists integrated elements of living organisms like animals, insects, birds, swans, dragon flies, peacocks and swallows with a symbolic meaning also in Art Nouveau the female figures were important.

Along my research on Art Nouveau I found designs that were applied on jewellery with symbolic designs, with different forms, patterns and shapes.

The is a ring designed with a dragon fly

Art Nouveau brooch with flowers and leaves and the female figure by Eugen Alfred Lelievre made with gold and diamonds.

Dragon fly with a female figure designed by one of the most famous jewellery designer, Rene Lalique

These are more furniture pictures that interested me along my research and that are inspired by Art Nouveau.


Dragonfly -side occasional table, made in solid birch hardwood


Wrought iron coffee table in Art Nouveau style

Then there's another artist whose Alphonse Mucha that produced Art Nouveau posters, adverts, paintings and designs.


The is a postcard of Alphose Mucha called ''Feather'' that was made in 1899
He created a simple postcard with designs that include leaves and vector decorative ornaments. He used calm colours and simple designs. The female figure gives the importance to the feather that creates simplicity and represents the bird that was something  symbolic to Art Nouveau style.

This is another work of his that is a poster, called ''Salon des Cent, Mucha Exhibition June 1897''.


This poster shows a graphical use with colour and decorative design and curvy lines. The font is designed in an Art Nouveau style that accomplish with the rest of the poster. The poster includes shading, outlines and flowers that all combine together with the style. The poster itself with the female figure shows a thinking emotion about the patterned, circles drawing/ painting that she is representing on the front.   

The influences of Japanese Art on Van Gogh

Van Gogh made his own versions of Hiroshige's work like the one called ''Sudden Shower at Atake'' and the other one called ''Flowering Plum Tree'' that were made in 1857. Hiroshige originals side by side with Vincent's copies.

''Sudden Shower at Atake''

Hiroshige's work shows an intense colour and flat surfaces. He created dramatic angles positions and reality composition. The black clouds represent the heavy rain and people on the bridge are escaping from the rain going to both different indications. There's an imprecise treatment of space and lack of modeling.There's also a strong use of quivering lines with the rain.  Van Gogh on his copy in oil created the border frame using the Japanese writing to make it look more exotic, although he didn't know a word in their language he wanted to represent it in a Japanese style. 

''Flowering Plum Tree''

This  is another copy that Van Gogh created using the same technique of the border frame like he did in the painting of ''Sudden Shower at Atake''. The lines of the branches are going to different directions. Hiroshige created the branch in a close up set, and then he continued creating the rest of the vision at the back of the bold branch.

I link Hiroshige's technique of work (cropping) with the work Edgar Degas  'The Orchestra at the Opera', 1870. 
The  heads of the dancers on the stage are cut even corners. The space is compressed with musicians. Degas has put the musician in the central of the composition in the orchestra to show the tradition. The techniques of Hiroshige's and Degas are very similar in their techniques. The painting has a precised and detailed areas with musicians and their instruments. On the other hand the dancers are  painted in a very sketchy method. 


The orchestra at the opera made in oil on canvas, 56.5 x 46.2cm in the gallery of Musee d'Orsay, Paris, France, (1869/70).




Reference:
C.Ives,2004.''Japonisme''. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. [Online] Available at: <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/jpon/hd_jpon.htm> [Accessed 20th March 2014]

Department of Asian Art, 2003. ''Woodblock Prints in the Ukiyo-e style''. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000- [Online] Available at: <http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ukiy/hd_ukiy.htm> [Accessed 20th March 2014]


Japan-Guide.com, 2002. Edo Period (1603-1867). [Online] Available at: <http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2128.html> [Accessed 20th March 2014]

Japan-Guide.com, 2002. Meiji Period (1868-1912). [Online] Available at: <http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2128.html> [Accessed 20th March 2014]

Art Videos and Documentaries, 2014. ''Hokusai''. [Video Online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sM5fT8_S7s> [Accessed 20th March 2014]

C.Herbert, 2014. Art Nouveau Artists: Louis Comfort Tiffany. [Online] Available at: <http://blog.flametreepublishing.com/art-of-fine-gifts/bid/73246/Art-Nouveau-Artists-Louis-Comfort-Tiffany> [Accessed 20th March 2014]

Life and Discover, 2014.The History of Art Nouveau- Painting/Drawing/ Artist (Documentary). [Online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O34YVQsFiWY> [Accessed 20th March 2014]
1Movielinks, 2013.BBC Documentary The Allure of Art Nouveau. [Online] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6PHHhmLA8Sg> [Accessed 20th March 2014]

s.n., n.d.Collection Asian Art: Sudden Shower Over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake (Ohashi Atake no Yudachi), no. 58 from one hundred famous views of Edo -Brooklyn Museum. [Online] Available at: <http://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/121666/Sudden_Shower_Over_Shin-Ohashi_Bridge_and_Atake_Ohashi_Atake_no_Yudachi_No._58_from_One_Hundred_Famous_Views_of_Edo> [Accessed 20th March 2014]

VintageArtPosters, 2000-2014. Flowering Plum Tree (after Hiroshige) Van Gogh. [Online] Available at: <http://www.zazzle.co.uk/flowering_plum_tree_after_hiroshige_van_gogh_poster-228171908347056865> [Accessed 20th March 2014]

Legal information, 2006. Edgar Degas The Orchestra at the Opera. [Online] Available at: <http://www.musee-orsay.fr/en/collections/works-in-focus/painting/commentaire_id/the-orchestra-at-the-opera-2954.html?cHash=293ac4ca32> [Accessed 20th March 2014]

Barry and Addrianna Doyle, 2012. Barry Doyle Design Jewellers -Rene Lalique. [Blog] 23 October, Available at: <http://barrydoyledesign.blogspot.com/2012/10/rene-lalique.html> [Accessed 20th March 2014]

Poul Webb, 2013. Art and Artists -Alphonse Mucha. [Blog] 12 April, Available at: <http://poulwebb.blogspot.com/2013/04/alphonse-mucha-part-3.html> [Accessed 20th March 2014]