"What is Ukiyo-e?" Exhibition at ICN Gallery, April 5 to 28
"What is Ukiyo-e?" Hokusai, Kuniyoshi, Hiroshige, Sharaku, Otamaro Dates: 05 - 28 April 2012 (Closed Sundays)
ICN Gallery proudly presents to you a series of exhibitions that centres on the theme of ukiyo-e. This exhibition, which is the first in the series, serves as an introduction to ukiyo-e that will hopefully enable visitors to better understand its historical origins and influence on Japanese art.
The word "Ukiyo"(fleeting life) means "modern-style". Ukiyo-e is the most popular print describing people's everyday life and every things which became popular in the Edo. The bold compositions and vibrant colours attracted European painters such as van Gogh and Monet, hence an unprecedented boom of Japonism.
This exhibition features brilliantly coloured woodblock paintings executed in a particular technique known as nishiki-e, the latter of which is commonly administered in ukiyo-e works. The pieces showcased here are also accompanied by interpretations that advise the viewer on how best to comprehend and appreciate the charm of ukiyo-e. We highly recommend this exhibition for not only people those who're already interested in Japanese culture, but also those who have never seen Ukiyo-e before. A total of 67 works are being exhibited, all of which are for sale. These pieces were created by different Edo-period artists such as Hokusai and Kuniyoshi who were interested in a variety of subject matter, ranging from themes of beauties, kabuki, samurai, landscapes and caricature. We sincerely hope that you will be satisfied with the characteristic and charm of Ukiyo-e woodblock prints such as its novelty, originality, the beauty of omission, and clear colouring.
Cooperation: The Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints and the Adachi Foundation for the Preservation of Woodcut Printing
Hokusai Katsushika (1760-1849) 10 works including "Great wave Off Kanagawa"
Artists Featured: Hokusai, Kuniyoshi, Hiroshige, Sharaku, Utamaro
Kuniyoshi Utagawa(1797-1861) 17 works including his recently discovered Goldfish series Artists Featured: Hokusai, Kuniyoshi, Hiroshige, Sharaku, Utamaro
Hiroshige Utagawa (1797-1858) 25 works including those from his "One hundred Famous Views of Edo" Hiroshige would deeply influence the Impressionist Van Gogh , who famously copied these two pictures. Artists Featured: Hokusai, Kuniyoshi, Hiroshige, Sharaku, Utamaro
Sharaku Toshusai 7 works from the popular actor series Artists Featured: Hokusai, Kuniyoshi, Hiroshige, Sharaku, Utamaro
Utamaro Kitagawa (1753-1806) 8 works including "Three Favorite Beauties" Artists Featured: Hokusai, Kuniyoshi, Hiroshige, Sharaku, Utamaro
History of Ukiyo-e Traditional woodcut print making is a composite art from in which the individual, specialist skills of artists, wood carvers and print makers are combined to create a delicate and beautiful work of art known as Ukiyo-e (pictures of the modern world). The world of woodcut printmaking is one of grace and warmth that is not found in any other form of printing. Through the skillful hands of master craftsmen of the Heisei era, this traditional art form has been inherited by the current age. Returning to the past, it is notable that it was not the Japanese upper-classes, but rather the common people, who cherished Japanese Ukiyo-e prints and nurtured the development of the woodcut printing techniques necessary to produce them.
The mass production and circulation of woodcut prints underlay the blossoming of Japanese popular culture that occurred during the Edo era(1600-1867). Ukiyo-e prints are widely appreciated both within and outside of Japan. Indeed, woodcut print making techniques are said to have had a strong influence on the European impressionist painters of the 19th century.
About The Adachi Institute of Woodcut Prints The Adachi Institute prides itself in making reproduction Ukiyo-e prints by employing the same skills, techniques and materials that were used by the original woodcut print makers of the 18th and 19th centuries. A brief outline of the reproduction process is as follows
1. Exact line reproduction is achieved by using a verified original print from one of the world's major Ukiyo-e collections. The blocks are carved by master engravers to duplicate exactly the same lines as the original print. This engraving requires delicate sensitivity and persistence. Old cherry wood is used for the blocks.
2. Printing is done by hand employing the same processes as were used on the original print. This stage is tedious and painstaking, for each color has to be printed from its own block. As with the originals all prints are made on washi (handmade Japanese paper) nd natural dye colors are used.The Adachi Institute conducts careful research and adheres to the highest standards of Japanese craftsmanship in order to ensure that its reproductions are of the greatest accuracy.
The Adachi Foundation for the Preservation of Woodcut Printing Through various enterprises,the Adachi Foundation for the Preservation of Woodcut Printing initiates activities that help to pass on the techniques of traditional woodcut printing to future generations. The foundation engages in the following activities. Preservation of Techniques, Cultivation of Successors, Publicity.
Adachi Institute held demonstrations at the British Museum and V&A Museum in December 2008.
About ICN gallery:
Connecting the creative world from Asia.
ICN gallery is contemporary art gallery based in London that actively seeks to showcase and share with the UK public upcoming & young contemporary artists from Japan and other Asian countries. Neither seeking to imitate the WEST. nor call for a return to pure tradition, the ICN gallery artists' works present messages on today's dynamically changing world of Asia. Producing works of pure creativity, they expand beyond established art boundaries, incorporating the ideas of art, culture and philosophy with originality and skill. Besides organising exhibitions, ICN also host events, seminars and workshops offering the public a chance to have a more personal engagement with creative work. By basing ourselves in Japan and UK, specifically London, not only are we able to discover new talent, but also able to lend support to more local artists; extending our ever-growing network for creative distribution.
