Hokusai, Hiroshige, Utamaro: Japanese Woodblock Prints

The book recounts the art of ukiyo-e, the painting of the Floating World, which contrasts the ethics of the samurai with the enjoyment of every single moment, the pleasure and entertainment in all its forms. Many were the schools and artists who specialized in these themes, yet there are three masters who remain undisputed points of reference even today: Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), and Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806). Through a selection of over 200 multicolored woodblock prints - including the iconic Great Wave and the series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji by Hokusai - and illustrated books from the prestigious collection of the Honolulu Academy of Arts, the volume highlights on the one hand the technical peculiarities, the skill, and the eccentricity of the individual artists, and on the other hand, the image market of the time, which required the treatment of specific subjects, well-known places and faces, fashionable themes and characters. A demand around which rivalries inevitably grew, even before among the artists, engravers, and printers themselves, to create print series that were always different to satisfy an increasingly demanding and wide publishing market, resorting to expedients such as original formats (vertical, horizontal, fan-shaped, book-shaped) and different framings of the subjects.

The technical mastery, the innovative compositions, and the vibrant colors that characterize the ukiyo-e prints were the result of a harmonious collaboration between the artist, the engraver, and the printer, who together created works that captivated the contemporary audience with their ability to evoke the ephemeral beauty and pleasures of urban life. The artists of ukiyo-e, in fact, focused on depicting the transient and momentary aspects of the Floating World, a universe of theaters, brothels, tea houses, and other places of entertainment and leisure, becoming the main chroniclers of the popular culture of Edo-period Japan (1603-1868).

Through the study of these masterpieces, the volume also reveals the social and economic context in which ukiyo-e flourished, a period marked by the rise of the merchant class and the growing popularity of ukiyo-e prints as a form of mass communication and entertainment. The demand for these images, fueled by an increasingly literate and visually oriented urban population, led to the development of a sophisticated publishing industry that involved not only artists, but also publishers, engravers, and printers, all working together to create the distinctive ukiyo-e style.

In conclusion, this volume offers a comprehensive and insightful exploration of the ukiyo-e tradition, shedding light on the artistic, social, and cultural significance of these captivating prints that continue to enchant and inspire audiences worldwide.

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