Abstract
The paper attempts to illustrate how Monet was deeply affected by Japanese art on a spiritual and emotional level. The paper discusses how Monet's obsession with Japanese art was apparent in his home, his words and his collection of prints. Monet's use of color, water, light and composition are described by the paper as well as how they were all influenced by the Japanese style.

Outline:
Japanese Art as an Influence
Japanese Art: The Collection
Impact on a Master Painter: Color
Impact on a Master Painter: Water
Impact on a Master: Light
Impact on a Master: Composition
Conclusion: An Artist Speaks

From the Paper
"Monet's connection to Japanese art has been variably reported as beginning early in the 1860s up to an initial purchase in 1871 . Perhaps the most charming story about Monet's introduction to Japanese art is a legend stating that Monet, when attempting to escape the Prussian siege of Paris, walked into a food shop in Amsterdam. The paper being used as wrapping paper were pages from a Japanese book of prints. The story goes on the say that Monet was so enamored with the prints that he purchased a print without delay and that this simple purchase changed the course of his life and the course of the styles, colors, and techniques used in Western art from that day forward."

Tags:wood, block, prints, color, water, light, composition, style, technique

Abstract
This paper examines the intimate connection that exists between Japanese art and nature. The author discusses the intimacy so many Japanese feel with nature, explains why artistic scenes of the natural world have been a dominant theme of Japanese artists, and analyzes why the Japanese have always had felt a need to express the intimacy they sense between humanity and nature. He also briefly describes some of the works of notable Japanese artists such as Utagawa Hiroshige, Shiki Sansuizu, and Toyo Sesshu.

Abstract
This paper discusses how Japanese art is an impressive entity complete in itself with a unique identity of its own. It looks at how the field doesn't primarily focus on paintings or prints and how instead everything, from sculpture to temple carvings occupy an important place in Japanese art. It analyzes its history of art by looking at different cultural influences. It also examines how Japanese music today is a rich amalgam of western and eastern traditions and how no matter how westernized the music becomes, the Japanese music industry cannot fully abandon the influence of eastern musical techniques because of its long and very vibrant history.

From the Paper
"Japanese music can technically be arranged into two broad categories: western and traditional composed in major and minor pentatonic scales. While there are various technical differences in western music of Japan and that of the rest of the world, still these are two categories that presently prevail in modern Japan. It is easier for the youth to identify with western style of music however Japan boasts of a long series of famous traditional singers who left an indelible mark the global music scene. One such singer was Misora Hibari who was born in 1937. The music scene in Japan is not only alive, it is constantly changing and adapting to the modern world around. This is probably the best way Japan can connect with the western societies and emerge out of the shackles of its restrictive traditions."

Tags:misora, hibari, kamakura, buddhist, chinese

Abstract
In this article, the writer looks at one of the most famous Japanese woodblock prints ever created, "The Great Wave at Kanagawa" . The writer notes that woodblock prints were a common form of Japanese two-dimensional art, involving the creation of a raised surface that was intended to either replicate a picture or create a new picture on the surface of a beautiful piece of paper. The writer then studies the three-dimensional "Ewer for Use in Tea Ceremony," which functioned as a wine server for the meal that takes place after the tea ceremony. The writer notes that today, it is considered an art form that observes the harmony between food and nature, and takes the diner on an odyssey of flavors, textures and colors. The writer concludes that the works of art considered, reflect the idea that artistic form and sacred function should be united in Japanese art and that the difficulty of artistic creation should not call attention to itself.

From the Paper
"How the food appears within the serving ware is just as important as the tastes of the food itself, and the harmony of the flavors of the meal are reflected in the harmony and balance of colors on the vessel. Unlike the woodblock, the images upon the vessel are not dramatic, although the vessel is crafted in an innovative fashion, in terms of its use of kiln technique and introduction of unexpected colors. The striking nature of the color reflects its function as a wine vessel, one of the stronger flavors of the kaiseki meal. The heavier, brighter flavors of the wine are intended as a balance to the flavors of Japanese rice wine, known as saki."
"Thus, within the woodblock composition there is balance, and the apparent ease with which the mountain withstands the terrible typhoon parallels the ease with which the woodblock artist creates, with great difficulty, the deceptively simple raised etching that creates a print."

Tags:food, woodblock, prints, balance

Abstract
This paper examines the history of Japanese art beginning with its popularity amongst Westerners in 1600, during the Edo Period. The paper looks at how this lead to a form of Japanese "renaissance" with traditional schools of Japanese that flourished, such as the Kano and Tosa schools and some new schools like the Rinpa which was based on traditions linked to the Ming Period in China. The paper also examines the different forms of art that developed over the years such as ukiyo-e, graphic arts in the form of block printing and black and white pictures.

From the Paper
"By 1868, Japan was experiencing some monumental changes by taking the West as its model in matters of politics, social structure and economics. In 1871, with a new Japanese government in operation, many Western specialists were invited to Japan and
many Japanese were sponsored by the government to travel abroad to Europe and bring back to Japan Western ideas that would help Japanese society and culture to modernize as a result of the Industrial Revolution. In the field of artistic pursuits, the Japanese showed an "unquenchable desire to borrow and adapt Western ideas so that every single style that was enjoyed in the West would also be found in Japan" (Smith, 156)."

Tags:ukiyo-e, Kano, Tosa, Rinpa, block, printing

Abstract
This paper explains that American Impressionist Mary Cassatt began using a Japanese motif in works such as "The Fitting," one of a series of ten color prints, which are considered among the landmarks of Japonisme. The author points out that, while most American architects in the early 1900s looked to European architects for ideas, Frank Lloyd Wright found Japanese design and art more inspiring. The paper concludes that now, in the 21st century, Japanese creativity has taken a new approach based on electronic and computerized technology advances combined with art, called animation, or anime in the Japanese language, which is an art form eagerly consumed by the market.

From the Paper
"Van Gogh wrote his sister how Buddhism was also impacting his life. He even shaved his head to look more like Japanese. He deeply studied the works "not to simply comprehend Japan art by copying it, but to dig down to the very roots of Japanese culture to be able to generate original creative impulses of his own from the encounter." American artist Frank Benson painted Impressionist images of table settings that mingled Japanese, Chinese, and American objects. Benson also applied Japanese technical considerations to his paintings. This interest is especially evident in a group of black-watercolor washes that suggest the swiftness and economy of Japanese ink painting."

Tags:van-gogh, beardsley, art-nouveau, disney, fashion

Abstract
This paper discusses Nio figures, particularly those of Todaiji Temple, which acutely represent the changes and needs of Japanese society at the time. The paper also examines and describes Kamakura realism and discusses the different figures belonging to that genre of artwork. In addition, the paper discusses the influence of this artwork on other cultures in the world. The effort to restore artwork from this period after the Genpei Civil War is also discussed.

From the Paper
"After the Genpei Civil War (1180 - 1185 C.E.) in Japan a great effort was made to restore some of the cultural monuments that had been destroyed. The Todaiji as well as the Kofukuji Temples had been burned in 1180 C.E. because of their sympathies with the rebelling Minamoto family . The rebuilding of Todaiji Temple in Nara was headed by Fujiwara Yukitaka, who was director of the restoration, and Priest Chogen, who collected contributions and also traveled to China to study the Song style of architecture . This rebuilding was burned down again around 1700 C.E. but the Nandaimon and the Kongo Rikishi figures inside survived."

Tags:kamakura period, japan, nio figures, todaiji temple, ungyo agyo

Abstract
This paper examines the influence of Hishikawa Moronobu on Japanese art before 1952. The paper shows how it is evident that down through the long centuries of Japanese history, the dialectical tension in Japanese society and culture between the competing traditions of high aesthetics and the military code has been expressed in thousands of paintings, books and works of art. The paper explains how at times, high aesthetics assumed greater social influence, while at other times, the militaristic tradition was dominant.

From the Paper
"The artistic aesthetics of Japan developed down through the centuries in a uniquely Japanese fashion, partly because of this isolated nation's geographic existence as a string of islands about one-hundred miles from the peninsula of Korea and five-hundred miles from China on the Asian mainland."

Tags:japanese, art, issues

Abstract
The works of the renowned Dutch master Vermeer (1632-1675) are comparable to Japanese art due to their dual appreciation and representation of unfilled space. He depicts subtle shades of luminous highlights, all incorporated within a meticulously ordered arrangement. The paper discusses the paintings 'The Geographer,' 'The Woman Holding the Balance' and 'The Music Lesson' - all of which echo ideas established by Japanese art. It shows that these paintings reveal an era where the general interest lay in exquisite furniture, beautiful women and extravagant attires. These carefully observed and accurately drawn paintings of the 17th-century were branded by a geometrical sense of balance, order and refinement; their suggestiveness analogous to the Japanese design.

From the Paper
"The Japanese aesthetic, Wabi-Sabi, is the ability to discover the beauty of imperfection. Similar to Zen Buddhism, Wabi-Sabi cherishes qualities that are earthy, modest, rustic and unassuming. Ordinary items are appreciated for their seeming beauty, such as budding flowers. Many Japanese landscape paintings portray nature when it's growing instead of when it's full-blossomed; it allows for our imagination to finish what it began. It stirs up the internal quintessence of an object but only provides a subtle presence; rationale is secondary to perception; mood means more than an accurate depiction. This deliberately suggestive style allows for the beauty incompleteness and omission to be valued."

Tags:camera, obscura, tranquility, The, Milkmaid

Abstract
The paper examines how Van Gogh used Japanese color technique, "line and dot" technique, and the "silhouetting' technique in his two works: "House and Figure" and "Portrait of a Peasant." The paper also shows how the Japanese woodblock tradition played a large role in helping Van Gogh form his painting style though the fluid styles of the master Hiroshige in "Blossoming Plum Tree." The paper relates that through this self-taught tutelage and copying of Hiroshige, Van Gogh was able to create an abstract style that was part of the burgeoning modernism of the Impressionist period.

Tags:gogh, art, japan