Japanese Prints (Taschen 25th Anniversary)
by Gabriele Fahr-Becker
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Book Summary Information
Author: Gabriele Fahr-BeckerEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2007-07-01
ISBN: 3822835099
Number of pages: 200
Publisher: Taschen
Book Reviews of Japanese Prints (Taschen 25th Anniversary)
Book Review: An excellent introduction to "the Floating World"
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this book to learn more about those strange Japanese pictures that have funny looking people doing meaningless things and make little artistic "sense" to those of us weaned on Western aesthetics. And of course, I was also attracted by the bargain price.
After having read through most of the book, page by page, I can say that I am very much satisfied. There are typos, as mentioned in another review, but they are very few and easily overlookable. Personally, I found the essays less helpful than the commentary. If you are totally new to the subject, the first essay is just a list of names and the second essay the author's personal experience. The commentary, on the other hand, gives you explanations of the cultural/historical background, technical details about the production and biographical details about the artists. In my opinion, that is of much greater utility to one seeking familiarity with the Japanese print.
On page 36 in my edition there is an actual printing error. A line of the image, about 3mm thick is shifted to the side by a few millimeters. Also forgivable, in my opinion. The reproductions themselves are good, though after seeing more expensive museum volumes in a local library I see that this book doesn't quite offer you the level of detail that these prints deserve.
What this volume does offer you, though, is the opportunity to enter the world of the ukiyo-e. If you read through the book, you can see that the Japanese print came to be as the product of the Tokugawa shogunate closing off Japan, the improvement of printing techniques and the generation of a large middle class that would buy these prints and would participate in the world they depicted. You can also see that with the Meiji restoration and the opening of Japan, new attitudes and technologies ultimately ended the print and its surrounding world. However, the principles and aesthetics showcased in these prints continue to guide Japanese film and of course, animation, until the present.
In short, for anyone with the slightest interest in Japanese prints, this book is a must. And with such a low price, you can't go wrong.
PS - If you are looking for books of paintings, this is not a book of paintings. I feel stupid even saying that because the title of the book is "Japanese Prints" but apparently people have been confused.
Summary of Japanese Prints (Taschen 25th Anniversary)
This volume reproduces 139 Japanese woodblock colour prints by 43 famous masters of ukiyo-e, the popular art of the 17th to the 19th century. The originals are in the Riccar Art Museum in Tokyo, the world's largest and most celebrated collection of such prints. On account of their rarity and value, 87 of them have been designated Japanese National Treasures or Major National Cultural Heritage Items. The introductory essay, "Ukiyo-e - Origins and History", by the Curator of the Riccar Art Museum, Mitsunobu Sato, familiarizes the reader with the history of this art form. This is followed by the chapter "Cherry - Wood - Blossom", in which Thomas Zacharias, Professor at the Munich Academy of Art examines the technique, content and style of Japanese prints and their influence on European art at the turn of the century. The major section of the book consists of the 139 reproductions, grouped by artist, each accompanied by a detailed, sensitive commentary. Street scenes, 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 posture and attitudes, and the decorative aesthetics of her flowing garments. Amongst the most celebrated of the artists featured here are Utamaro, with his beautiful courtesans and geishas; Sharaku, with his portraits of actors on the kabuki stage; Hokusai, with his landscapes, among them the "36 Views of Mount Fuji"; and Hiroshige, with his "53 Stations on the Tokaido" and his "100 Views of Famous Places in and around Edo". The ten-page appendix includes a glossary of technical terms and biographies of all 43 artists.Art History Books
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