Japonism

Japonism (also in French Japonisme and Japonaiserie) is the influence of Japanese art on Western, primarily French, artists. The art that originated from this influence is called japonesque.

Artists and movements

Japanese artists who had a great influence included Utamaro and Hokusai. Curiously, while Japanese art was becoming popular in Europe, at the same time, the bunmeikaika (文明開化, Westernization) led to a loss in prestige for the prints in Japan.

Related Topics:
Utamaro - Hokusai - Japan

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Artists who were influenced by Japanese art were van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, Klimt, and many others. Several of van Goghs's paintings imitate ukiyo-e in style and in motif. For example, Le Père Tanguy, the portrait of the proprietor of an art supply shop, shows six different ukiyo-e in the background scene. He painted The Courtisan in 1887 after finding an ukiyo-e by Kesai Eisen on the cover of the magazine Paris Illustré in 1886. At this time, in Antwerp, he was already collecting Japanese stamps.

Related Topics:
Van Gogh - Monet - Manet - Degas - Renoir - Pissarro - Klimt - Kesai Eisen - Antwerp

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Ukiyo-e, with their curved lines, patterned surfaces and contrasting voids, and flatness of their picture-plane, also inspired Art Nouveau. Some line and curve patterns became graphic clichés that were later found in works of artists from all parts of the world.

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