Ukiyoe: Pictures of the floating world

• 14/08/2008 - 00:00
• Author: Yuki Sakuma
• Graphics & Artists
• 0 Comments
• Read in IT

Ukiyoe,"pictures of the floating world", is a genre of woodcut prints carved into a wooden block used as a mould. They were produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries and feature Japanese landscapes, historical tales, theatre, actors, and high points of life in general.

    

The "floating world" refers to the concept of the ephemeral things: nothing's eternal, everything follows the strict rules of birth, prosperity and beauty and final decadence. The Ukiyoe prints catch the moment in which things are at their finest in an attempt to make it immortal on the paper. At the same time, though, all of this makes the artist and the audience sad for thinking about the brievity of human life. Ukiyoe art was not only for the rich, either. The woodblock technique made mass-production possible and the prices were quite affordable even for those with less money. The making of Ukiyoe was quite easy, although it needed the cooperation of skilled people.

This triptych by Utagawa Kunisada features an Ukiyoe prints workshop, with uncommon craftswomen working at the following procedure:
1) the artist draws the subject of the print on paper
2) the drawing is traced and pasted upside-down on a wooden block
3) the woodcutters cut the wood following the lineart made by the master: the result is a relief drawing in negative
4) a test print is made, then shown to the master, who decides if it is right or needs any edit
5) many prints are made for every single Ukiyoe, and according to the desired contrast, the woodcuts are more or less deep.

What are the subjects featured in the Ukiyoe? So many!! The most famous are the Bejin (pretty women), caught in their everyday life moments showing all of their ephemeral beauties while looking at their reflection in a mirror, pipe smoking, etc. The prints featuring the coolest theatrical actors are as famous as the Bejin ones: they were sold to the fans, just like what we do with the famous actors today.

This Ukiyoe features Otani Onji II, renowned Kabuki actor, starring as Edobe the servant.
The Ukiyoe featuring the Onnagata, male actors playing female characters, are famous as well.

In this Ukiyoe an elegant lady is pictured while looking at herself in the mirror. Thanks to this peculiar pose, we can see both her face and the elegance of her hairstyle and hand. The Onnagata pictured in Ukiyoe are easily recognizable because of the typical purple hood worn on their forehead, as it was necessary to hide the shaved head (this haircut was very common during the Edo period).

This delicate yet neat coloured woodcut features the Onnagata Iwai Hanshiro IV (the purple hood makes him identifiable as an Onnagata). Ukiyoe like this were the most wanted, since it was every japanese's desire to own a "photo" of his favourite actor.

The fashion of Ukiyoe is still alive today, as many contemporary artists make new prints using more modern techniques yet still linked with tradition. Just like the Japanese culture asks, both modern and tradition are involved and entwined.