Tsukioka Yoshitoshi: The Last Great Master Engraver of the Ukiyo-e Tradition
Gifted with an exceptional technique and inspired by tradition and a convulsive environment, this master renewed the art of Japanese engravings.
The Ukiyo-e tradition was practiced in Japan since the 17th century, and it became a fascination for the West ever since its impressions made their way around the world; artists and collectors marvelled at these images that many a time arrived in Europe wrapped around porcelain and other delicate pieces. The influence these pieces had on creators and collectors was referred to as Japonesque or Japonism. These polychrome impressions overflowed with the imagery of the everyday life of ancient Japan, they were the flyers and posters that advertised theatrical plays and other cultural events, an important subject matter for Ukiyo-e was the portrayal of actors, known as Yakusha-e. Another important subject matter of the multi-reproduction on wood was Bijinga, which portrayed women of an immaculate beauty.
The technique’s demands were too high; the mastery of the tools and procedures led to creation of professional press workshops that had to supply the gigantic editions’ demands. The names of the creators became synonymous of heroes: Utamaro (1753–1806), Hokusai (1760–1849), Toyokuni (1769–1825) and Hiroshige (1797–1858), among some others. When the ancient Edo period was about to transform radically, when titans had fallen and technology posed a direct threat to tradition, a handful of creating warriors kept Ukiyo-e alive for some time, among them was Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839 –1892).
His first series are copies of his master’s work. When the latter died, Yoshitoshi forged his reputation by portraying Kabuki actors, and afterwards began to freely represent the subjects of his choice. The series known as “Bloody Prints” represents the horrors committed during that social transition in Japan: murders, battles, clashes, confrontation, suicides and mutilations became the everyday life of many and of many others who experienced them through Yoshitoshi’s art. These prints are comparable to Goya’s “The disasters of War”, the impact they produce results in that very spasm and contraction of an overwhelmed spirit. Needless to say, sensations only a great artist can evoke.
Related Articles
Pictorial spiritism (a woman's drawings guided by a spirit)
There are numerous examples in the history of self-taught artists which suggest an interrogation of that which we take for granted within the universe of art. Such was the case with figures like
Astounding fairytale illustrations from Japan
Fairy tales tribal stories— are more than childish tales. Such fictions, the characters of which inhabit our earliest memories, aren’t just literary works with an aesthetic and pleasant purpose. They
A cinematic poem and an ode to water: its rhythms, shapes and textures
Here lies One Whose Name was writ in Water. - John Keats Without water the equation of life, at least life as we know it, would be impossible. A growing hypothesis holds that water, including the
Watch beauty unfold through science in this "ode to a flower" (video)
The study of the microscopic is one of the richest, most aesthetic methods of understanding the world. Lucky is the scientist who, upon seeing something beautiful, is able to see all of the tiny
To invent those we love or to see them as they are? Love in two of the movies' favorite scenes
So much has been said already, of “love” that it’s difficult to add anything, much less something new. It’s possible, though, perhaps because even if you try to pass through the sieve of all our
This app allows you to find and preserve ancient typographies
Most people, even those who are far removed from the world of design, are familiar with some type of typography and its ability to transform any text, help out dyslexics or stretch an eight page paper
The secrets of the mind-body connection
For decades medical research has recognized the existence of the placebo effect — in which the assumption that a medication will help produces actual physical improvements. In addition to this, a
The sea as infinite laboratory
Much of our thinking on the shape of the world and the universe derives from the way scientists and artists have approached these topics over time. Our fascination with the mysteries of the
Sharing and collaborating - natural movements of the creative being
We might sometimes think that artistic or creative activity is, in essence, individualistic. The Genesis of Judeo-Christian tradition portrays a God whose decision to create the world is as vehement
John Malkovich becomes David Lynch (and other characters)
John Malkovich and David Lynch are, respectively, the actor and film director who’ve implicitly or explicitly addressed the issues of identity and its porous barriers through numerous projects. Now