{"product_id":"japanese-woodblock-prints","title":"Japanese Woodblock Prints","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom \u003cstrong\u003eEdouard Manet\u003c\/strong\u003e's portrait of naturalist writer \u003cstrong\u003eÉmile Zola\u003c\/strong\u003e sitting among his Japanese art finds to \u003cstrong\u003eVan Gogh\u003c\/strong\u003e's meticulous copies of the Hiroshige prints he devotedly collected, 19th-century pioneers of European modernism made no secret of their love of Japanese art. In all its \u003cstrong\u003esensuality, freedom, and effervescence\u003c\/strong\u003e, the woodblock print is single-handedly credited with the wave of \u003cem\u003ejaponaiserie\u003c\/em\u003e that first enthralled France and, later, all of Europe--but often remains misunderstood as an \"exotic\" artifact that helped inspire Western creativity.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e The fact is that the Japanese woodblock print is a phenomenon of which \u003cstrong\u003ethere exists no Western equivalent\u003c\/strong\u003e. Some of \u003cstrong\u003ethe most disruptive ideas in modern art\u003c\/strong\u003e--including, as Karl Marx put it, that \"all that is solid melts into air\"--\u003cstrong\u003ewere invented in Japan in the 1700s \u003c\/strong\u003eand expressed like never before in the designs of such masters as \u003cstrong\u003eHokusai, Utamaro, and Hiroshige \u003c\/strong\u003ein the early 19th century.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This book lifts the veil on a \u003cstrong\u003emuch-loved but little-understood art form\u003c\/strong\u003e by presenting the \u003cstrong\u003e200 most exceptional Japanese woodblock prints\u003c\/strong\u003e in their historical context. Ranging from the \u003cstrong\u003e17th-century development of decadent \u003cem\u003eukiyo-e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e, or \"pictures of the floating world,\" to the decline and later resurgence of prints in the \u003cstrong\u003eearly 20th century\u003c\/strong\u003e, the images collected in this edition make up an unmatched record not only of a unique genre in art history, but also of the shifting mores and cultural development of Japan.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e From mystical mountains to snowy passes, samurai swordsmen to sex workers in shop windows, each piece is explored as a work of art in its own right, \u003cstrong\u003erevealing the stories and people\u003c\/strong\u003e behind the motifs. We discover the four pillars of the woodblock print--\u003cstrong\u003ebeauties, actors, landscapes, and bird-and-flower compositions\u003c\/strong\u003e--alongside depictions of\u003cstrong\u003e sumo wrestlers, kabuki actors, or enticing courtesans\u003c\/strong\u003e--rock stars who populated the \"floating world\" and whose fan bases fueled the frenzied production of woodblock prints. We delve into the horrifying and the obscure in prints where \u003cstrong\u003edemons, ghosts, man-eaters, and otherworldly creatures torment the living\u003c\/strong\u003e--stunning images that continue to influence Japanese manga, film, and video games to this day. We witness how, in their incredible breadth, from \u003cstrong\u003eeveryday scenes to erotica, the martial to the mythological\u003c\/strong\u003e, these works are united by the\u003cstrong\u003e technical mastery and infallible eye of their creators\u003c\/strong\u003e and how, with tremendous ingenuity and tongue-in-cheek wit, publishers and artists alike fought to circumvent government censorship.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Three years in the making, this XXL edition presents reproductions of the finest extant impressions from the vaults of museums and private collections across the globe--many \u003cstrong\u003enewly photographed especially for this project\u003c\/strong\u003e. Some \u003cstrong\u003e17 stunning fold-outs\u003c\/strong\u003e invite us to study even the subtlest details, while\u003cstrong\u003e extensive descriptions\u003c\/strong\u003e guide us through this frantic period in Japanese art history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Features: The work of \u003cstrong\u003e89 artists\u003c\/strong\u003e, from the world-renowned to the unfamiliar \u003cstrong\u003e7 chapters\u003c\/strong\u003e organized chronologically to trace the history of the medium from 1680 to 1938 17 fold-outs, \u003cstrong\u003ehand-folded\u003c\/strong\u003e due to their size and specifications Exclusive reproductions from museums and private collections An appendix listing all artists and works \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Andreas Marks","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover (Multiple Languages)","offer_id":46357509243116,"sku":"9783836563369","price":333.33,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Hardcover (French)","offer_id":46357509275884,"sku":"9783836585538","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false},{"title":"Hardcover (English)","offer_id":46357509308652,"sku":"9783836585545","price":20.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0684\/1791\/3068\/files\/9783836563369_9fc8bd2c-dacd-4218-92fb-d9361177a62f.jpg?v=1744387922","url":"https:\/\/intl.allstora.com\/products\/japanese-woodblock-prints","provider":"Allstora","version":"1.0","type":"link"}