Abstract This paper examines the influence of Hishikawa Moronobu on Japaneseart 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."
Abstract The paper attempts to illustrate how Monet was deeply affected by Japaneseart on a spiritual and emotional level. The paper discusses how Monet's obsession with Japaneseart 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:
JapaneseArt as an Influence
JapaneseArt: 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."
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."
Abstract This paper discusses how Japaneseart 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 Japaneseart. 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."
Abstract This paper examines the intimate connection that exists between Japaneseart 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 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 Japaneseart 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."
Abstract This paper examines the Japanese influence on the art of Vincent van Gogh. It discusses the elements of Japaneseart which attracted him and why. The author explores specific works produced by van Gogh that illustrate the Japanese influence.
From the Paper "Dutch artist, Vincent van Gogh, produced his world-renowned art in just a ten-year period. His influence on the century's art is considerable but the formative influences on his own art are also greatly significant in terms of his development as an artist, Van Gogh ..."
Abstract The works of the renowned Dutch master Vermeer (1632-1675) are comparable to Japaneseart 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 Japaneseart. 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."
Abstract This paper explores the influence of Japanese wood-block prints on Impressionist and Post-Impressionist painting. The writer introduces the evolution of wood-block printing in Japan and its distinctive form, technique and style of drawing that attracted the impressionists. This is followed by a listing of artists who were exposed to these prints and how they affected their works. These artists include Degas, Pissarro, Cassatt, Renoir, Morisot, and Manet among others.
From the Paper "This type of printing changed during time, and the works that we see today and also the ones the impressionist saw were the end product of a long evolution. "Printmaking is composed of the division of labour of many craftsmen, such as painters, engravers and printers, and needs at least the same number of different woodblocks as colours, often more than twenty wood-blocks. At first, there was just a one colour woodblock prints with brush-added colour in the 1710s, then two or three colours wood-block prints evolved in the 1740s, and finally in the 1760s the multi-colour wood-block prints called "nishiki-e" (brocade picture) was invented and continued to the early Meiji period in 1890s." "
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."
Abstract The paper discusses Impressionism, Japanese woodblock prints and how Impressionism was affected by the Japanese. The paper explains how Impressionism began as a rebellion by four students who were tired of the conventional art strategies. The paper relates that many art critics believed the artists were crazy with their designs, but today these paintings are considered art. The paper explains that different artists and Japanese prints and artists have made Impressionism become a recognized art.
From the Paper "Impressionism Begins as a Rebellion. Four art friends rebel against contemporary art to create an artist style called Impressionism. Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Alfred Sisley and Frederic Brazille were friends who had attended painting classes together. The conventional art at that time was centered on history and Greek mythology with dark colors, which many young artists thought was quite boring. These four artists went into the forest of Fortainbleau and started painting outside."
Abstract This paper discusses Japanese martial arts with an emphasis on Budo and the main purpose of Budo. The paper discusses the history and philosophy of Japanese martial arts and takes a look at its three main branches.
Abstract This paper explores the expressions of sex and sexuality in the contemporary art of three Asian nations: Japan, China, and South Korea. The paper also looks at public and critical reactions to such works of art, in order to gain insight into the role sex and sexual art play in Asian cultures. The paper then points out that to a Western viewer, images of sex in contemporary Asian art are often shocking in their explicitness or sheer strangeness. The paper explains that once we begin to understand the context in which it has emerged, the representation of sex in contemporary Asian art is analogous to our own in the Western world. The paper concludes that sex is clearly a universal area of interest for artists from all over the world. While some nations, such as the Japanese, are free to explore the subject in all its glorious, perverse, and occasionally horrific detail, other nations punish their artists for making the most minor transgressions.
From the Paper "In Japanese art, what comes across as shocking to an American audience does not necessarily seem so to the Japanese themselves. This is because the Japanese do not carry the burden of Christian guilt, nor have they been influenced by the Puritan ideals that continue to surface in American discourse. Indeed, the Japanese have a much more open attitude towards sex than any other nation in Asia. Sex in art, however, is often used to challenge accepted modes of discourse in Japanese culture, and is thus considered to be a tool of dissent. This is particularly true for Japanese women artists who wish to challenge the Confucianist idea of women as submissive beings."
Abstract This paper provides a look at Japanese influence upon the work of French Impressionist painter, Claude Monet. The paper looks at Monet's interest in the exotic and ancient Japaneseart and culture and discusses the influence of Japanese woodblock prints on the art of the Impressionists.
From the Paper "Influences of Japanese art and culture infuse much of modern society. It is easy to see reflections of Japanese culture in what might otherwise be considered a western or occidental world. Certainly we have witnessed the overwhelming and growing emulation of Japanese customs in our own society. The work of French impressionist painter Claude Monet seems to have what may be the first hints of Japanese influence in modern art. Here we will examine that influence in Monet's work as it relates to impressionism..."
Abstract The paper discusses Japaneseart, largely influenced by Zen Buddhism, which has left its mark in white and black ink art, buildings, gardens, and the graphics in the tea-ceremony rooms. The paper mentions the Horyu-ji Temple as the first and finest example of the use of Korean and Chinese Buddhism in Japan. The paper also makes reference to the art of Jomon culture and the Kofun or Tumulus period and notes that it was in the mid-sixth century that Buddhism reached Japan. The paper highlights the concepts of Buddhism and states that its culture was introduced by Korea into Japan. This began Japan's first cultural awakening and the history of what today is recognized as Japaneseart.
From the Paper "The Shaka Triad is one of the oldest bronze images. It is located in the Golden Hall. It is six feet tall and was designed by the the famous sculptor Tori Busshi. Its image displays the Buddha Shakyamuni sitting between two Bodhisattvas. The Shaka has his legs crossed. His hands are placed in one of a number of mudras. "He has a protuberance on his head and a third eye that indicate extraordinary knowledge and vision and are among some twenty three bodily signs introduced by the Mahayana Buddhist to indicate [shaka's] superhuman qualities" (Varley, 1984:26). The empress Suiko asked Tori Busshi to make the statue after Shotoku Taishi, the leader of Horyu-ji, died. "
