Japanese Wood Cut Art

Japanese art is one of the world s greatest treasures but it is also surprisingly hard to find up to date information on the internet.

Japanese wood cut art.

The majority of park west gallery s japanese woodcut collection were created during edo period japan 1615 1868. From the oldest surviving silkscreen painting through magnificent 18th century woodblock prints to japan s most famous modern artist yayoi kusama. Along with paintings prints produced from the 17th century through the 19th century captured the spirit of ukyio e a genre that presented pictures of the floating world to the public. We have introduced some affordable yet effective versions to our stock.

Woodblock printing in japan 木版画 mokuhanga is a technique best known for its use in the ukiyo e artistic genre of single sheets but it was also used for printing books in the same period. Japanese woodblock prints date back as far as the eighth century b c and the long history of the tradition contributes to resonate with collectors today. Woodcuts also play an important role in the history of japanese art during the 17th century a style of genre art called ukiyo e gained prominence in japan. Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking an artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood typically with gouges leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non printing parts.

Widely adopted in japan during the edo period 1603 1868 and similar to woodcut in western printmaking in some regards the mokuhanga technique differs in that it uses water based inks as. Celebrated for their one of a kind process and distinctive aesthetic woodblock prints have become a widely recognized and iconic form of japanese art. Explore the largest collection of 17th 19th century original japanese woodblock prints for sale in the united states. Woodcuts served as a convenient and practical way of filling the large demand for inexpensive ukiyo e pictures.

Japanese woodblock print search. Known familiarly as ukiyo e or pictures of the floating world this genre of images traditionally portrays worldly pleasures and earthly delights a type of escape that dealt with the frustrating ancient divisions of class between japanese nobles and warriors. Ukiyo e a form of japanese print art that translates as pictures of the floating world captured the exciting urban popular culture of the edo period 1603 1868 promoting its beauty fashions and heroes. You will find them in the japanese woodcut sundries section of the relief printing department alongside.

While the buddhist term ukiyo originally emphasized the. Producing japanese printmaking barens is an art form in itself and it is possible to invest a great deal of money and or expertise into making the very best. Ukiyo e search provides an incredible resource. This ultimate guide will introduce the most inspiring aspects of japanese art.

Below is an example print click to see it in action. The ability to both search for japanese woodblock prints by simply taking a picture of an existing print and the ability to see similar prints across multiple collections of prints.