On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the normalization of diplomatic relations between China and Japan, the 2022 China-Japan Cultural and Art Exchange Season: "Edo Kikuo -- Ukiyo-e Exhibition" and "Edo Monogatari - Japanese Creative Market" opened on March 26 at the China Millennium Monument Art Museum, and the exhibition and activities will last until June 5. The event was held at a time when the cherry blossoms were in full bloom, cherry blossom viewing, exhibition viewing, visiting the market, and the series of activities brought a cultural and artistic feast to the citizens of Beijing.
"Edo Fantasy Song - Ukiyo-e Exhibition" is sponsored by the China Millennium Monument Art Museum and Beijing Wenze Times Culture and Art Co., Ltd., and hosted by Beijing Gehua Cultural Center Co., Ltd. The exhibition selects 140 groups of ukiyo-e classic works to present to the public the representative works of ukiyo-e in more than 300 years of history, from the early days of its inception to the decline of the decline, with four chapters: "Flowers Not Sleeping", "Ejo", "Hyakumito" and "Kazuno Mirror", presenting the unique view of nature of the Japanese nation and the scenes of civic life, entertainment and aesthetic fashion of the Edo period; "Flowers", "Castles", "Figures" and "Mirrors" are not only the division of ukiyo-e prints, but also the restoration of the scenes of the Edo period. The two most famous series of ukiyo-e landscape paintings, "Thirty-Six Views of Togaku" and "Fifty-three Times of Tokaido", which are the largest presentations of these two series in recent years.
Kanagawa Surf Lane Katsushika Hokusai
Kanagawa Oki is from the Miura Peninsula to the coast of Edo Bay near Yokohama, and from this angle you can see mt. Fuji, a distant view similar to the picture. The three escort boats on the screen are transporting fresh fish and vegetables from the Bunsho Peninsula near Edo to the Nihonbashi Market in Edo Castle, and each boat has eight oarsmen. The sea in the painting is turbulent, the boatmen cling to the hull of the ship and follow the waves, and the rolling waves guide the viewer's vision, so that Mt. Fuji at the lower end of the picture is majestic. Katsushika Hokusai combines the "three-point composition" and the perspective method to form a centripetal composition centered on Mt. Fuji. This painting is a masterpiece of traditional art and Western techniques, and is a classic work representing Japanese art, which is world-famous.
Ukiyo-e
"Ukiyo-e is a popular art form that is closely related to the lives of ordinary people. Through ukiyo-e, you can not only get a glimpse of the japanese way of life at that time, but also explore the common points and history of exchanges between Japanese and Chinese cultures and customs from the patterns depicted in the paintings of kimono ornaments and personal belongings. Yoshiko Kijima, Cultural Minister of the Japanese Embassy in China, said.
The word "ukiyo" comes from the Pure Land Sect of Buddhism, which means "the world is empty and ethereal." The Chinese Yuan Dynasty Pure Land Sect monk Ri guan once wrote in a poem that "the floating time and yin can be few, and the tuberose burns the golden pool", which means that the illusory life is not long, it is better to burn incense to worship the Buddha, and the heart is to the Buddha. In 1661, about 300 years after the use of the word "ukiyo" in Nikkan, the term "ukiyo" first appeared in Japan. Writer Asai wrote in Uki Monogatari: "Live in the moment, enjoy the moonlight, snow, cherry blossoms and bright red maple leaves, sing indulgently, drink sake, forget the troubles of reality, get rid of the worries in front of you... This is called 'ukiyo-e'. After Asai realized the "ukiyo", he did not look down on the floating world like the sun and became pure-hearted, but suddenly felt that how could the beautiful present be disappointed? You should indulge in pleasure and enjoy it.
Adhering to this "spirit", the meaning of ukiyo-e is self-evident – woodcuts depicting the lives of citizens in Japan's Edo period with line depiction as the main language of painting. At that time, anyone who was related to the lives of the citizens of the Edo period could be painted in ukiyo-e. As an "encyclopedia of the Edo period", there are three most popular types of ukiyo-e paintings: one is the "beauty painting" depicting various types of beauty, the second is the "servant painting" depicting kabuki stars, the third is the "famous painting" depicting various scenic spots, and the others are samurai paintings, sumo paintings, and hundreds of things.
From the root, the emergence and development of ukiyo-e also benefited from the prosperity of Ming Dynasty book printmaking and the maturity of engraving and printing technology, known as the "founder of ukiyo-e", The Japanese painter Lingchuan Shixuan was influenced by Ming and Qing printmaking, got rid of the illustration style of traditional books, made the picture independent, and thus formed the typical style of ukiyo-e.
Shono Hakuame Utagawa Shigeshige
"Shono White Rain" is a masterpiece with the same name as "Puhara" and the most important masterpiece of Hiroshige Utagawa. "White rain" is a shower, the oblique rain is like a shuttle, passers-by bow their heads and stride, although there is no specific portrayal of the character image, but the layers of bamboo forest on the background are transformed into gray shadows, revealing a faint sentimental feeling. Countless thin lines that run diagonally through the picture delicately show the direction and momentum of the rain. Slopes, cold rains and bamboo forests form an unstable triangle that reflects the uneasy psychological state of people in the showers. In order not to be blown away by the headwind, the two people downhill put away their umbrellas and ran towards the station.
A beautiful world
In the chapter "Flowers Don't Sleep", the exhibition matches the theme, presenting many pictures of cherry blossoms on the transparent exhibition wall, and highlighting Katsushika Hokusai's most famous series, "Thirty-Six Views of Tomitake". In this series, the scenery of Mt. Fuji will change with the change of time and space, and each picture and scene is created by the painter on the basis of field visits and his own artistic imagination; among them, the three works of "Kai Feng Kuai Qing", "Kanagawa Surf" and "White Rain Under the Mountain" are the most famous, and Mt. Fuji in each painting also has a different style. Ukiyo-e works use the element of flowers to reflect the change of seasons, and people enrich their aesthetic experience in the long aesthetic process, not only to feel the beauty of flowers in full bloom, but also to feel the simple moment when life germinates or withers.
At the beginning of its birth, ukiyo-e mostly depicted the secular life of Edo (present-day Tokyo), but during the Period of Hiroshige Utagawa, live-action prints were finally born. This kind of printmaking, which combines Western perspective with traditional ukiyo-e painting methods, once swept the world with its realistic effects and traditional Japanese color matching and composition. The development of the civic economy has also prompted figure painting to become a major type of ukiyo-e, and the earliest appearance is beauty painting. The chapter "Baimeitu" shows the results of the meticulous observation of life by painters from the folk, who seek the most direct inspiration, while catering to the interests of the public, but also expand the scope of the subject, and through the ukiyo-e beauty map to reflect the popular artistic taste, present the exquisite aesthetics of the Japanese nation, with flowing lines and elegant colors, showing the style of beauty.
"Noh drama", "Kabuki" and "Bunraku" are also known as the three major classical drama forms in Japan, of which Kabuki originated in the Edo period and is the most representative form of popular drama in Japan. With the popularity of Kabuki repertoire, the development of related prints has also flourished. In the chapter "Mirror of Peace", works based on Kabuki, such as Kiyonobu Torii, Kiyobe Torii, Kiyomitsu Toyoi, and Kuniyō Toyohara, jointly ushered in the era of Kabuki ukiyo-e.
In the 17th century, the Tokugawa shogunate unified Japan, ending the protracted Champa And the Japanese archipelago ushered in a peaceful era. During the reign of the Tokugawa shogunate, the booming market economy and urbanization not only increased the purchasing power of the people, but also cultivated the minds of the citizens, and ukiyo-e came into being. Different from those lofty "works of art", ukiyo-e paintings have a beautiful color design and beautiful and graceful lines that cater to the aesthetic needs of the civic class, and are based on real life and have functional characteristics to make it a popular folk art.
In the Edo period and even in the early Meiji period, ukiyo-e had nothing to do with "art" and was just a low-priced consumer product, and was even given as wrapping paper and sent with goods. It was not until after the Meiji Restoration that ukiyo-e crossed the sea to Europe and the United States, and the bright colors, curved lines, and scattered perspective laws from the East were learned by Impressionists, which inspired European artists such as Monet and Van Gogh, and also created the maturity of Impressionism, at this time, ukiyo-e began to be regarded as art. After more than 300 years, the influence of ukiyo-e has now penetrated deeply into Asia and Europe, "through ukiyo-e works, we can realize the beautiful world that is as bright as fireworks and colorful lights," said Ji Pengcheng, director of the China Millennium Monument Art Museum.
Ogi-O-Utagi Utamaro Kitagawa
"At that time, the heyday of beauty" is a series of more than ten hanaku that was widely acclaimed in Yoshihara during the Kwansei period. The Japanese kanji 揃 means complete sets and groups. The series is composed of the bust above the knee, which is typical of Yoshihara Hanaku,Yoshihara's posture. In the series, each painting has the name of the person on it. "Wakamatsuya Hatsuka" and "Fan in the Fan House" depict two of Yoshihara's two major flower stars, Hana fan is famous for her proficiency in poetry, and she worships the sinologist and poet Mishima Zihiro and the sinologist and calligrapher Sawada Higashie as her teachers. The flower fan in the painting combs the hairstyle known as "shinobi", wears a front belt with a big tang grass pattern, a black background blouse, and a cherry blossom pattern small sleeve formal dress, and slightly bows his head in contemplation. It is not only a simple beauty painting, but also shows the psychological state of the characters.
Source: China Art News