The Power of UKIYO-E // Art Movement

At first, we watched a lot of videos of art movements. Video is one of my easiest way to study or get information. Not all of those videos influencing me. I remember cubism, art nouveau, dadaism, and especially ukiyo-e. I don’t like cubism, i feel scared to see cubism paintings. I like dadaism, it always catchs people’s attention and not hard to understand the meaning. I love art nouveau, it always looks elegant and highclass! B)

“Ukiyo-E“, i just knew that word from that video and catched my attention. After watched all video, i have chose one art movement. i am confused between Ukiyo-E and and Art Nouveau. I thought art nouveau was too hard to explain. so i chose Ukiyo-E and challenge my self to explore the new one. I do not like the painting, but i love the technique.

Then Mr. Angga gave me assignment brief! Firstly, i have to do research as much as possible. I tried to search on internet and asked VISI (my senior student at UIC who made Ukiyo-E too). She told me to do research at Japan Foundation (Summitmas II). I went there before history class. Really quite and all books are about Japan! My eyes started to scan “UKIYO-E“ on the shelf. After i chose some books and gave them to the librarian, he said i can not borrow the books because they are just reference books. OMG MY UKIYO-E! then i negotiation with the librarian to copy the book. Librarian said okay but i can copy only 15 pages each book. I copied 3 books that i thaught can help me. I can research from internet as much as i want but i believe books than internet. I read all of my research and wrote 2000 words, then i put in text references by Harvard version. It is so hard for me because i need really quite room to read and i am not expert in writing.

 THIS IS MY ESSAY : 

There are so many factors can affect art movement in this world. Economic expansion, internal stability, and flourishing cultural arts are some factors of Ukiyo-E art movement In 1630s three decrees are issued by the Shogun (a military governor whose power exceeded the emperor’s) because of fearful of the potential impact of European colonial expansion and Christian missionaries on Japanese culture. All Japanese citizens’ travel were restricted. They can not travel overseas or return from other country. Foreign trade was resticted to approved Dutch and Chinese traders sailing to the Nagasaki Seaport. This period called national isolation.

Another thing influencing Ukiyo-E was urbanization.  The urbanization of Japanese bring artists to started writing stories and novels. based on their feeling. Then they combined between stories and painting, and became Ehon (book and story with illustration painting). Ukiyo-e painting also applied on calendar, postcard, and Kabuki poster. Kabuki is a classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers.

This technique dissatisfaction caused by a group of artists against traditional painting. The painting became popular after a great fire destroyed Edo in 1657. After that great fire, they struggled to build their house and bring out “cheap decorative market“. Hishikawa Muronobu, an artists from Edo tried to sell his painting to the publisher without text. He was trying to entertain and motivate sad people to decorate their house with his painting. One of his popular painting is “Mikaeri Bijin Zu“ means “beautiful lady looking back“. Firstly, Ukiyo-E painting  popular with single color and used India ink only. then some printd were manually colored by brush. 

In 1745, Torii Kiyonobu developed a technique to using a series of blocks and each block will print one color to make a painting. Mostly they used red color from Saffloerr for every painting. A painting used red-orange color called Tan-e, a painting used dark red called Beni-E, and a painting with 2 or 3 other colors called Benizuri-e. Ukiyo-e painting being more unique with red color only, the red subject will be eye catching. 

An artist never stop painting and experiencing. in 1764, Suzuki Harunobu developed a colouful painting. Every artist tried to make a colorful painting and it became a golden year of Ukiyo-E. Painting with full color called Nikishi-E. Ukiyo-e technique was also supported by availability of high quality paper (Washi) which can used for overlap coloring and printing process. 

Ukiyo-e is a genre of japanese woodblock prints or woodcut. It is not just a painting, it can called as “social life art“ because the Ukiyo-e always mention about the social life and what people see, what people feel in that time, and very emotional. Affordable, other word to describe ukiyo-e. The technique of Ukiyo-E make everyone can buy this painting because at first ukiyo -e technique was created to duplicate paintings for townsmen which do not have enough money to buy original painting. So ukiyo-e painting can be enjoyed by the poorest until the richest. 

Japan tradition really profitable for men.  Women are required to obey her husband, day by day care of the house, should not live luxuriously and arrogant. Their daily lives simply by sewing, spinning yarn, weaving. They should not drink too much wine and tea. They also must be well-dressed. This conditions made woman very weak and do not have enough education. Whereas men as head of family should be served like a king. They can do everything they want. Riotous habits of men based on the desire for pleasure in domestic, but government banned them to contact with other country. Matchmaking in marriage made no romance in household. It led men to looking for their own pleasure, while their wifes should stay at home. The wife and daughter were conquered by Kabuki actors, but over time it evolved into a place of entertainment where the sex trade. This show was originally played by men and women, but then the show played by men because many women sell them themselves. Famous Kabuki actors eventually became the husband of the wife or hushband of merchant’s daughter. At the end, this habit defined as floating world, that is a life full of freedom and wordly pleasures.

In that time, people really looking for enternainment by various social classes, and prostitute became rampant. Hedonitic definition must be added the connotations of stylishness and smartness, as well certain bawdy overtones that connected it with the common people’s fad and amusements, including the Kabuki theatre and the prostitute distcrict. Prostitute brought some artists to get inspired from their environment around and what they see to make some “satirical paintings” which is intended for prostition users and workers.

All artists keep exploring on their painting.  In 1790 some painting catched people attention with serrealism touch. Ookubi-E format being popular because the point of view of this painting is on subject’s face, tha painters drew the face is bigger than other body part. In that period, Kitagawa Utamaro and Sharaku were so popular. Every artist has their characteristic in their painting. Kitagawa Utamaro always be himself, he paint what he want, not painting what people like. He paint based on his observations of their physical expressions, gesture, and emotional. He concentrated on produce a number of very famous series half-length single potraits of women, all featuring women of the Yoshiwara district. Women characteristic in his painting is always wears Kimono (Japan traditional clothes) and the women hair do. Every woman that he paint was charming and sometimes sensual. Whereas Sharaku is not really expose compared with Kitagawa. He always paint men, Kabuki. His career was short because the radical nature of his work aroused the histility of the art world in Edo, he depicted them too truthfully and his prints did not conform to accepted ideas.

In 1800 appeared a radical change in taste. along with the loss of inspiration in terms of design ideas as well as the declining quality of prints. This period of  short bodies painting with shoulders stooped and sharp lines, replacing the tall and elegant body shape in the past. Images of actors became more exaggerated and creepy. This change occurs because the ukiyo-e paintings are already in mass production and people are not so concerned about the quality of the paper used, while demand continues grow, it made ukiyo-e print and duplcated quickly and in large numbers. Also government regulations that restrict the circulation of print materials among the general public. (Japan Foundation 2011)

After a few years so many men and women painting, people get bored and new subject of ukiyo-e was born. This is the last movement of original ukiyo-e painting. In 1831 Katsushika Hokusai started published his painting, and he also has a painting characteristic. His painting depicted mostly landscape and nature. One of the most popular of his painting is Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, based on occupied a special place in Japan, this 3776 meter volcano first catches the rising sun’s rays at dawn.  Hokusai Katsushika can be termed as a very famous artist and prolific at this time because he was the only artist who produced 35,000 works in 7 decades nonstop. Some people do not agree with landscape is a subject of painting, but these artists do not care. As always, landscape painting also based on people life, in that time people started to like travelling in their country. Other artists who painted landscape and nature are Ando Hiroshinge and Kunisada with motifs from nature. Competition is inevitable in art world, Katsushika Hokusai rival in landscape painting is Ando Hiroshinge with his popular painting, Tokaido Gojusantsugi. He inspiring the Eurpean impressionist by his brilliant spatial composition and ability to capture the transient moment of the landscape. His famous quote is “I leave my brush in the East and set forth on my journey. I shall see the famous places in the western land“.

Japan began to change, the art began to receive attention. People are starting to think about good and bad subject of a painting. It made the reforms called Tenpo reform. This reform prohibits the circulation of paintings that contain images courtesans, geisha and actor.

At the time of the Edo period was largely a period of calm that provided an ideal environment for the development of the art in a commercial form. Japan is very closed and very maintain their cultures. But at the moment Kaei period (1848-1854), many foreign merchant ships came to Japan. Cultural changes are reflected. In 1868, Japan became very open to foreign things from West such as photography. In golden age of ukiyo-e, the artist used natural materials as a dye, but when western radicals occurs, natural dyes began to be replaced by chemical dyes imported from Germany.

Ukiyo-e paintings are so cooped up in Japan, eventhough the subjects was changes and so many artist painting in various characteristics, when Japan began opening up to the outside world, Japan is like a man just opened his eyes.  Ukiyo-e painting which always popular in Japan became fell so far because of the western cultrure. Japan’s leader began building a modern nation with economic and military similarities to western nations.

In that moment, the Europeans also began to see Japan and particularly Ukiyo-E are being dropped. Even ukiyo-e inspired impressionist, cubist and post-impressionist such as Vincent Van Gogh, James Abbot McNeill Wristler, Claude Monet, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, and Henri de Toulouse Lautrec. This influence called Japonisme. 

Lack of perspective and shadow, the flat areas of strong color, and the compositional freedom gained by placing the subject off-centre,  mostly a law diagonal axis to the background were especially affected Japonisme artists. With typical ukiyo-e are always painted by what they felt, what they seen and still maintain their own culture,  made Western artist using elements of eastern styles in works showing their culture. Early Modernist poetry such as Ezra Pound, Richard Aldington, and Amy Lowell are also influenced by ukiyo-e painting.

Meiji period looks like the end of the ukiyo-e paintings, but openness to the outside world that happened in the Meiji period not only bring negative thing, it also gives a positive thing to Japan. In 20th century, new print was born in Taisho and Showa period, named Shin-Hanga (means “New Prints“) and Sousaku Hanga (means “Creative Print“). Shin-Hanga still drew upon ukiyo-e traditions, creating images of traditional Japanese scenes, in traditional modes, and forms. Many Shin-Hanga paintings were exported to America. Unfortunately Sousaki Hanga painting was like a western painting and has different process with ukiyo-e technique.

Watanabe Shozaburo was the major publisher. He took the western elements such as effects of light and expression of individual moods but focused on strictly traditional themes. This is the other influenced by ukiyo-e. Shin Hanya became very popular because western collectors enjoyed images of traditional Japan and moured its loss, as  Japan pressed forward with medernizarion and Westernization campaign. 

Japan was success to maintain its culture in Edo period, but a country would not be able to survive without any supports from other country.  Ukiyo-e which is trapped bring it became a historical art movement. Eventhough the ukiyo-e was an old art and many external influence change it character, paper, process, and tchnique. People are now beginning to understand the importance of protecting and preserving the culture. People are starting to flashback, and looking for authenticity of the character and it origin style. If japan open it country publicly since Edo period,  ukiyo-e would be just an ordinary art and not be exposed as much as ukiyo-e that we know. However, the bored people against government restrictions that limit their interaction with other countries, and the emergence many negative things (such as : sex trafficking), of this rule made Japanese dare to open up to the outside world that does not directly Japan must be ready to suffer the consequences, which is westernization that alter japan in many parts like life style, education, economics, and of course culture,  ukiyo-e which began to wear off and turn into new art with different techniques and processes. Since then, ukiyo-e continues to influence art and artists around the world. One example of Japanese art movement that influenced by ukiyo-e and familiar is manga comics.

* * * * *

I also do primary research. I found Jed Henry on kickstarter.com and his artworks were so amazing. I chose him because he wants to learn, as you can see, he is not a japanese. Another reason is Jed Henry is a modern illustrator, and Ukiyo-E is a traditional art, but he combined the modern and traditional things. Now he is an illustrator of children story book, and all of the book used Ukiyo-E style.

This is List of References, i divided them by kind, but this is just a draft list, i will not put the kind name on the book.

book layout - cover until page 8

book layout - page 9 until page 17

book layout - page 18 until back cover

first background -  i took this because if you see Japanese book, almost all of them using recycle paper ( i love the texture )

i want to add some element / icon to place the page numbering. I thought Sakura flower is Japan enough. I edited Sakura petal, but Mr. Angga said the first until third design is not really Sakura, then i edited the colour. 

These are some pages of first draft. I put the first design of petal. Mr. Angga gave me feedback to try print because the background texture too contrast, the font also not really clear, and explore on layout, not just text picture text picture. 

                 

After some QC, second and the third drafts, I came up with forth draft. There are the design on InDesign, i designed the left page on the right and the right page on the left because i used French Binding and Japanese Binding. After printed them as spread, i folded them became 2 pages. If you see there are some black space on the right or on the left, it is the space for Japanese Binding. I still use Sakura petal but with little bit modification because i don't really like the color actually, the color is too strong but eye catching, so i just put it half and bigger. I also put some symbols on every last page of caption, that is the oriental/asian/japanese symbols. I tidied up some layouts. Title : Japan Brush 36pt ; body text : Dekiru 10pt ; image caption : dekiru 8pt.

i changed the background to minimise the risk ;/

the left page is for the cover. I have look at some books and they have hard cover and cover image on first page, but i will make ut two in one, so the cover just hardcover with a square hole (just the face of image you can see), and the first page is the whole image.

Author's Name ;)

table of content - i used the magenta line like the color of Sakura petal for page numbering.

i have an idea for the artwork, i want to make it like in the museum, so i will print them on different paper and put the artwork photo with frame (like an image hang on the museum)

After QC and Mr. Angga aprove the design, i printed them on Saturday at PrintPress Serpong with Coronado Paper. I prepared for the cover, at first i want to use real wod but i can not make it like 'good quality', and i remembered i have wood texture book cloth which i bought for Comping class last term. i used duplex 2 mm, book cloth, and fox glue.

And this is THE POWER OF UKIYO-E ;)

the Japanese Binding 

The square hole is symbolize of a window. i was inspired by Jed Henry that said "Ukiyo-E is a window to see Japan......." , if you close th hole, you just see the wood texture (nothing), but when you open it, you can see the ukiyo-e

Lets move to Artwrok. I will make an Ukiyo-e painting as my artwork, i want to make buildings (mall) but i do not really like it then i thought Ukiyo-e was an art which offensing bad things around it. I tried to think how about make Wayang Gunungan, Indonesian heritage, because nowadays culture

in Indonesia is fading. I want to remind people that we still have this to be seen, to be enjoyed, and to be conserved.. Firstly i asked my dad to give me a thin wood, but my dad said, ‘if you want to carve it, you should use the thick one, then my dad sent me the thick one. I started sketch the image, day by day i carved it everyday before go to college.

I can’t bring it to the class because the wood to heavy and wide (40 cm x 60 cm).This is the first time i
car ved wood directly and when i choose Wayang Gunungan with some curve as my artwork, i knew i will stuck oneday. But that thing challenge me to finish it and show it to Mr. Angga. I bought the car ve tools at Paperclip IDR 102.000, but my friend said ‘i can get it just IDR 17.000‘ (-_-’’) OKAY.
At the beginning for one curve it took 15 minutes and after a few days i can carve it just for 5 minutes. I used recycle paper for stamp it, if you see closer, you will see the details and texture of the paper. I used it because if we go to Japan store (such as : MUJI), the paper also not really white and some of them recycle paper, and i love recycle paper because that meants we support GO GREEN.
The color of the ink is orange. It is the color of fresh (for refresh our mind we still have that heritage) and match color for wood. Brown and orange. I bought a frame for IDR 85.000, so i can display it (maybe?). 

i was inspired by this - references

the sketches of artwork

The wood

the tools

i drew the image on the wood

how the tool works

first day - its so hard -_-

day 2 and day 3

day 4

coloring and stamping - this step was amazing that the ink can be stamp to the paper.

the artwork with frame and my name on the corner :)

the book and the artwork

Honestly i don’t really like history. But for this subject, i tried to love history, although can’t too much :’) But i learned to love and face something in front of me, i love it or i hate it. I don’t satisfied about the book and the artwork. I can’t much explore on layout and looks boring for me.The artwork, i hope i can make it more interesting.
After made the artwork, i really appreciate all painters especially Ukiyo-e painters because they have more challenge to carve it before they stamp it.And my artwork not really detail like the real one :(
At the end, i learned that RESEARCH from BOOK is the best way to get information,
i learned about the referencing and primary research help us to have a link with worldwide artists.And I learned time management to make the artwork with book can go and finish together, on time. 



Have a nice day,
 JAJ