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.

History

During the Kaei era (1848 – 1854), many foreign merchant ships came to Japan. Following the Meiji restoration in 1868, Japan ended a long period of national isolation and became open to imports from the West, including photography and printing techniques and in turn, many Japanese ukiyo-e prints and other artworks came to Europe and America and soon gained popularity.

Related Topics:
Kaei era - 1848 - 1854 - Meiji restoration - 1868 - Ukiyo-e - Europe - America

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Japonism started with the frenzy to collect Japanese art, particularly print art (ukiyoe), in the 1850s and 1860s. French collectors, writers, and art critics undertook many voyages to Japan in the 1870s and 1880s leading to the publication of articles about Japanese aesthetics and the increased distribution of prints in Europe, especially in France. Among them, the liberal economist Henri Cernuschi the critic Theodore Duret (both in 1871 – 1872), and the British collector William Anderson, who lived for some years in Edo and taught medicine. (Anderson's collection has been acquired by the British Museum.) Several Japanese art dealers subsequently resided in Paris, such as Tadamasa Hayashi and Jijima Hanjuro. The Paris world fair of 1878 presented many pieces of Japanese art.

Related Topics:
Japanese art - Ukiyoe - 1850s - 1860s - Japan - 1870s - 1880s - Prints - Europe - France - Henri Cernuschi - Theodore Duret - 1871 - 1872 - William Anderson - Edo - Medicine - British Museum - Paris - Tadamasa Hayashi - Jijima Hanjuro - Paris world fair of 1878

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