Art of Japan

 What symbolizes art in Japan?

The criteria and expectations were formed during Japan's opening to the West in the late 19th and early 20th centuries have often restricted the study of Japanese art. Japanese art includes calligraphy, painting, sculpture, architecture, ceramics, jade carving, bronzes, and other ornamental or fine visual arts created throughout the country's history from about 10,000 BCE to the present.  

The most enduring source of influence was Buddhism, which spread throughout Asia after emerging in India. Understanding the natural environment as a source of spiritual knowledge and a teaching mirror of human feeling is what Japanese art is all about. Long before Buddhism, an indigenous religious sensibility believed that there was a spiritual realm evident in nature. Japanese art demonstrates a great deal of contact with or response to outside influences. 

Japan's distinct culture and history are reflected in the abundance of symbols and meanings found in its art. Cultural symbols like the cherry blossoms and the red-crowned crane, as well as traditional art forms like calligraphy and painting, all contribute to a deeper knowledge and enjoyment of Japanese art.

Ukiyo-e Art

Ukiyo-e represents the final phase in the long evolution of Japanese genre painting. Ukiyo-e painters concentrated on pleasurable activities in landscape settings, and depicted close-ups, with particular attention to topical concerns and styles, drawing on earlier innovations that had focused on human figures. The artists were greatly influenced by ukiyo-e because of its expressive curves, daring color choices, and free-form designs. The kind of approach used by ukiyo-e artists was unknown to Western artists of realism or religious art until that point.

Katsushika Hokusai, The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, Tokoyo, 1830–32.

The Great Wave off Kanagawa is a landscape-format linen print by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai, sometimes referred to as The Great Wave or just The Wave. It's both one of the most well-known pieces of Japanese art in the entire world and Hokusai's most well-known piece. It was released in print between 1829 and 1833. 

The wave is sometimes mistaken as a tsunami, however, it's actually a huge wave that is captured in the background shadow of Mount Fuji. The fundamentals of design are illustrated by the waves' curving lines. To increase and intensify the threat posed by the waves, sharp lines are placed near the point where the water is likely to overtake the defenseless fishermen in their boats.

The artwork exhibits Pattern, Emphasis, and Proportion; the waves in particular show these elements. The artist avoided using red or vibrant colors in favor of muted, calming colors. However, the use of cold hues, such as dark blue, gives a sense of hopelessness and coldness, while the white may be interpreted as hope that the fisherman will survive the storm.

Utagawa Hiroshige, Awa Province: Naruto Whirlpool, Japan, 1853.

This amazing artwork, which depicts the whirling waters at Awa cascading over the rocks close to the shore, is regarded by many as the most spectacular of the entire series. Nestled between the island of Awaji and Naruto town in Awa province is the tiny strait known as Naruto, which connects the Kii channel to the Eastern inland sea. This picture provides a stunning image of the turbulent waves and whirlpool between the rocks. On the horizon is Awaji Island, with a little boat in front of it.

He made good use of the rectangle's vertical length. We can sense the wave's power and the whirlpool's depth. That draws us deeper into the scene. The green portion of Awaji Island stretches between the rocks on the right and left. And in the skies, seabirds soar. The way the contrast of motion and quiet is composed highlights the presence. People are drawn to the wave's colors as well. The use of blue and white colors complements the whirlpool so well.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Takiyasha the Witch and the Skeleton Spectre, Honolulu Museum of Art, 1844. 

One of the last major exponents of the Japanese ukiyo-e style woodblock prints and paintings was Utagawa Kuniyoshi. He belonged to the Utagawa school of thought. Kuniyoshi studied under Shunei at the start of his ukiyo-e career. He was admitted to learn woodblock printing under Toyokuni I at the age of 14, and over time, he would emerge as one of his most accomplished students.

In the picture, the princess calls forth a massive skeleton by reciting a spell which is inscribed on a handscroll. Emerging from a pitch-black emptiness, it uses its skeletal fingers to force its way through the torn palace blinds and threaten Mitsukuni and his friend.

This print's color scheme expertly strikes a balance between bright and dark, colored and uncolored areas. The painting's central subject, the ominous and horrifying Gashadokuro, is almost completely white with only occasional shades of grey and black. The viewers are also shown death by this color choice of the Gashadokuro, which also maintains the skeleton's realistic appearance—a realism that at the time was unheard of in creative representations of human anatomy which has contributed to the image's scary aspect.

Ulak, J.T. (2023) Japanese art, Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/art/Japanese-art Accessed 30 November 2023. 

Art, D. of A. (1AD) Art of The Pleasure Quarters and the Ukiyo-e Style, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/plea/hd_plea.htm Accessed 30 November 2023. 

The Ukiyo-e Artists You Need To Know, (no date) Google.  https://artsandculture.google.com/story/the-ukiyo-e-artists-you-need-to-know/BQKC6o0k2oBRLA Accessed 30 November 2023.