Japonisme. Paintings of Beautiful Women ~ Blog of an Art Admirer

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Japonisme. Paintings of Beautiful Women

Japonisme. Paintings of Beautiful Women. John Singer Sargent. Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose

In 1853 the United States forcibly opened Japan to Western trade and diplomacy, the first wave of oriental goods flooded Europe.
Since then, the western world has changed irreversibly. It became fashionable for the Europeans to collect Japanese objects for their homes. Japanese bronzes, ceramics, laquers, kimonos, fans, ukiyo-e and illustrated books appeared in art galleries and specialty shops. Modern artists were open to stylistic influences, the Europeans got tired of classicism, of all those armless statues and pompous beauty. The West craved for something new.

Aimé-Nicolas Morot. Nude With A Japanese Umbrella

Several Parisian artists eagerly passed around the first Japanese piece of art - Manga by Hokusai - block-printed sketchbooks. The author, Hokusai (1760-1849), was a noted Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker, a staunch Confucianist and capricious celebrity, he produced thousands of prints and sketches. Interestingly, in his turn, he was fascinated by the French and Dutch landscapes of the 18th century, from which he drew his inspiration.
It is said that Edgar Degas was among the earliest collectors of Japanese art in France. He started painting naked women in a completely new way - not as ancient Greek statues, but depicting them after the bath as Japanese women from Manga. Van Gogh portrayed himself with a shaved head and Japanese narrow eyes.

Degas began to paint naked women completely new way - not as an ancient Greek statue, but rather as a manga depicting Japanese women in bath. Van Gogh, watching the work of Hokusai, portrayed himself in a self-portrait with a shaved head and Japanese narrow eyes - in the form of bosses.
Monet portrayed his wife in a Japanese costume. French interest in Japan and its arts reached its peak by 1872 when the art critic Philippe Burty gave it a name japonisme.

The impact was diverse, although the tendency toward simplicity, flatness, and the decorative evident in much painting and graphic art was the most characteristic result of the influence of the Japanese art.

Japonisme. Ukiyo-e