JAPANESE PRINTS

This volume reproduces 139 Japanese woodblock colour prints by 43 famousmasters of ukiyo-e, the popular art of the 17th to the 19th century. Theoriginals are in the Riccar Art Museum in Tokyo, the world's largest andmost celebrated collection of such prints. On account of their rarity andvalue, 87 of them have been designated Japanese National Treasures orMajor National Cultural Heritage Items. The introductory essay, "Ukiyo-e - Origins and History", by the Curatorof the Riccar Art Museum, Mitsunobu Sato, familiarizes the reader with thehistory of this art form. This is followed by the chapter "Cherry - Wood -Blossom", in which Thomas Zacharias, Professor at the Munich Academy ofArt examines the technique, content and style of Japanese prints and theirinfluence on European art at the turn of the century. The major section of the book consists of the 139 reproductions, groupedby artist, each accompanied by a detailed, sensitive commentary. Streetscenes, lovers' trysts, festivals, portraits of courtesans and actors,landscapes and travelogues - these are the motifs of the ukiyo-e print.The dominant theme, however, is woman's beauty, the grace of her postureand attitudes, and the decorative aesthetics of her flowing garments.Amongst the most celebrated of the artists featured here are Utamaro, withhis beautiful courtesans and geishas; Sharaku, with his portraits of actorson the kabuki stage; Hokusai, with his landscapes, among them the "36 Viewsof Mount Fuji"; and Hiroshige, with his "53 Stations on the Tokaido" andhis "100 Views of Famous Places in and around Edo". The ten-page appendix includes a glossary of technical terms andbiographies of all 43 artists.