NEW YORK, NY.- Ronin Gallery celebrates its 50th anniversary with an exploration of five decades of Japanese prints. From the first flowerings of ukiyo-e to today’s contemporary talents, they will consider the history of printmaking in five exhibitions. The year begins with Dawn of Ukiyo-e: Woodblock Prints of the 17th & 18th Centuries. Over the course of the late 17th and 18th centuries, the Japanese woodblock print transformed from a devotional medium into a culturally embedded art form. Known as ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world,” these prints captured an ephemeral world of earthly pleasure and indulgence. In this exhibition, Ronin Gallery invites you to trace the development of ukiyo-e from its roots in ehon (illustrated books) to its lauded “golden age” through the work of artists such as Moronobu, Harunobu, Utamaro and Sharaku.
Explore centuries of Japanese woodblock prints, from iconic landscapes to portraits of beautiful women and kabuki actors. Click here to discover a wide selection of Ukiyo-e books.
The rise of the woodblock print in Japan was inextricably tied to the historical and social factors of the Edo period (1603-1868). While religious uses date back to the 8th century, the woodblock print had become an unmistakable art form by the late 17th century. As the city of Edo (today’s Tokyo) surpassed one million residents, the merchant class thrived. Excluded from courtly culture by the social stratification of the era, they created a pleasure culture of their own. This “floating world” (ukiyo) revolved around the Yoshiwara, the legalized prostitution district, and the kabuki theaters. Each realm engaged in a symbiotic relationship with woodblock artists, publishers, and artisans. Despite the harsh reality within the Yoshiwara, courtesans became models of the latest fashion through bijin-ga (pictures of beautiful women). Ukiyo-e found an avid audience through yakusha-e (actor prints) and theaters depended on prints for advertisement. Ever adapting to the public taste, ukiyo-e were popular, affordable works of art.
An ukiyo-e print is often described as the work of a single artist, but in truth, each design is the result of the joint effort of the ‘ukiyo-e quartet’—the artist, engraver, printer, and publisher. The artist designs an image that is then pasted onto a finely prepared cherry woodblock. The engraver follows the artist’s lines with a sharp knife, skillfully hollowing out the intervening spaces. Once carved, the key block is a work of art in of itself. This block is then inked with sumi (black ink) and a sheet of dampened mulberry paper is laid upon it. The printer rubs the paper with a baren (flat circular pad) until the impression is uniformly transferred. This key block impression establishes the design’s outlines and the kento (guide marks) used to align each subsequent color. For a color print (nishiki-e) a separate block is carved for each hue. The printer layers each color atop the key block impression. When the printing is complete, the publisher distributes the finished work to eager audiences and commissions new designs.
Ukiyo-e’s development of color, style, and a distinctive visual vocabulary unfolded with the rise of the floating world. The earliest examples of ukiyo-e trace to the pages of late 17th-century books. Though publishers applied color by hand for the first half of the 18th century, the development of registration marks around 1745 allowed multiple printed colors. By 1765, richly colored prints were referred to as azuma nishiki-e (eastern brocade pictures). As the medium enjoyed technical evolution, artists expanded genres, subjects, and their creative approach. Wry literary allusions intertwined with scenes of willowy beauties as kabuki prints began to look beyond the role to the actor himself. Artists shifted from purely idealized representation to increasingly individualized portraiture. By the end of the 18th century, ukiyo-e had developed a distinctive style, technical prowess, and an indomitable spirit that would inspire future artists both at home and far beyond for centuries to come.
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