Amsden, Dora; Seidlitz, Woldemar Von — Impressions of Ukiyo-E

Book Good Dust Jacket Included 1st Edition Sirrocco, London, United Kingdom English text.; Hardcover (with dust jacket).; 25 x 33 cm.; 2.2 kg.; 287 pages with colour illustrations.; Used with signs of wear on the exterior and interior. The dust jacket shows edge wear and minor scuffs and scratches on the front cover, spine and back cover. Small tear on the top left side of the back cover. Interior with minor signs of wear throughout.; Ukiyo-e ("pictures of the floating world") is a Japanese artistic movement born during the period of prosperity of Edo (1615-1868). Typical of the period, the prints are the result of the collective work of an artist, an engraver and a printer. Developed as a result of their low costs thanks to technological progress, they depict scenes from everyday life, featuring women, Kabuki actors, and even Sumo wrestlers. Landscape later became one of the favourite Ukiyo-e subjects. The founder of the movement, Moronobu, as well as artists such as Shunsho, Utamaro, Hokusai and Hiroshige, are among its most famous representatives. In 1868, Japan opened itself to the West. The mastery of technique, the fineness of the work and its graphic precision charmed the West at once and influenced great artists such as the Impressionists, Van Gogh, and Klimt. The whole period in European art was marked by a fascination with Japan. In their thematic analysis, Dora Amsden and Woldemar von Seidlitz highlight the vast influence of this movement on the whole Western art scene. These magnificent prints, reflecting the evolution of the ideal of feminine beauty, along with the changing role of the gods and the significance given to landscapes, are also a priceless testimony to the complete comprehension of a long gone society.