ART 311 - Final Exam Study Guide

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HIROSHIGE 1757 One Hundred Famous Views of Edo-title/subject The Moon above a headland (Moon and shadow)

• Near and Far. • In the left front of the print, a shoji screen with divided paper panels shows the shadowed silhouette of a woman. To the right of the screen on the floor a bit of her kimono can be seen. • We know she is a courtesan because of the many hair bars are seen in the shadow. • The moon, the room lamp, and the shadow also suggest that this scene is set at night. Visible in the room open to the bay are the remains of a meal, and to the right, just a bit of another figure seemingly seated on the floor. She is likely a geisha since the black lacquer box for her musical instrument can be seen behind her. • The party is coming to an end after gazing at the moon, listening to music and eating the courtesan in the shadow implies that more pleasures are to come for those who can afford to partake in these entertainments. • An example of how the artist crops the foreground objects against a more distant view. • This is an interesting genre scene since the figures are barely visible, rather human habitation is mostly implied. The outdoors landscape is dominated by the interior "landscape."

Tōshūsai Sharaku

Tōshūsai Sharaku (Japanese: 東洲斎 写楽; active 1794-1795) was a Japanese ukiyo-e print designer, known for his portraits of kabuki actors. Neither his true name nor the dates of his birth or death are known. His active career as a woodblock artist spanned ten months; his prolific work met disapproval and his output came to an end as suddenly and mysteriously as it had begun. His work has come to be considered some of the greatest in the ukiyo-e genre. Sharaku made mostly yakusha-e portraits of kabuki actors. His compositions emphasize poses of dynamism and energy, and display a realism unusual for prints of the time—contemporaries such as Utamaro represented their subjects with an idealized beauty, while Sharaku did not shy from showing unflattering details. This was not to the tastes of the public, and the enigmatic artist's production ceased in the first month of 1795. His mastery of the medium with no apparent apprenticeship has drawn much speculation, and researchers have long tried to discover his true identity—amongst the dozens of proposals, some suggest he was an obscure poet, others a Noh actor, or even the ukiyo-e master Hokusai. Ukiyo-e art flourished in Japan during the Edo period from the 17th to 19th centuries. The art form took as its primary subjects courtesans, kabuki actors, and others associated with the ukiyo "floating world" lifestyle of the pleasure districts. Alongside paintings, mass-produced woodblock prints were a major form of the genre. Ukiyo-e art was aimed at the merchants at the bottom of the social scale, especially of the administrative capital of Edo (modern Tokyo). Its audience, themes, aesthetics, and mass-produced nature kept it from consideration as serious art. Ichikawa Monnosuke II as Soga no Gorō (1789) by Shunkō, a pioneer in ōkubi yakusha-e head portraits of actors. After the mid-18th century, full-color Nishiki-e prints became common, printed with a large number of woodblocks, one for each color. Critics have come to see the late 18th century as a peak period in the general quality of the work. Shunshō of the Katsukawa school introduced the ōkubi-e "large-headed picture" in the 1760s. He and other members of the Katsukawa school popularized ōkubi yakusha-e actor prints and the dusting of mica in the backgrounds to produce a luxurious glittering effect. In contrast to earlier actor prints, which used stereotyped features and poses of anonymous actors, these ōkubi yakusha-e aimed for recognizable likenesses Tōshūsai Sharaku's works appeared in the middle of the Kansei era (1789-1801), when the nation faced hard economic times that the military government responded to with reactionary policies such as the Kansei Reforms intended to strengthen the feudalistic shogunal system. Some of the policies restricted extravagant fashions, and Kabuki theatres faced strict control over their perceived excesses and limits on actors' incomes. Late Edo-period art nevertheless flourished, and new works and popular actors continued to rapidly appear in kabuki theatre, where realistic performances came in vogue. Yakusha-e came to favor a greater emphasis on the individuality of the actors, and buyers came to expect pictures with the actors' likenesses, rather than the stereotyped images of the past, such as those by the once-dominant Torii school.

Ukiyo-e

Ukiyo-e[a] (Japanese: 浮世絵, pronounced [ɯkʲijoꜜe]; literally "picture[s] of the Floating World") is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; flora and fauna; and erotica. Edo (modern Tokyo) became the seat of government for the military dictatorship in the early 17th century. The merchant class at the bottom of the social order benefited most from the city's rapid economic growth. Many indulged in the entertainments of kabuki theatre, courtesans, and geisha of the pleasure districts. The term ukiyo ("floating world") came to describe this hedonistic lifestyle. Printed or painted ukiyo-e images of this environment emerged in the late 17th century and were popular with the merchant class, who had become wealthy enough to afford to decorate their homes with them. The earliest success was in the 1670s with Moronobu's paintings and monochromatic prints of beautiful women. Colour in prints came gradually—at first added by hand for special commissions. By the 1740s, artists such as Masanobu used multiple woodblocks to print areas of color. From the 1760s the success of Harunobu's "brocade prints" led to full-color production becoming standard, each print made with numerous blocks. Specialists have prized the portraits of beauties and actors by masters such as Kiyonaga, Utamaro, and Sharaku that came in the late 18th century. In the 19th century followed a pair of masters best remembered for their landscapes: the bold formalist Hokusai, whose Great Wave off Kanagawa is one of the best-known works of Japanese art; and the serene, atmospheric Hiroshige, most noted for his series The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō. Following the deaths of these two masters, and against the technological and social modernization that followed the Meiji Restoration of 1868, ukiyo-e production went into steep decline. Some ukiyo-e artists specialized in making paintings, but most works were prints. Artists rarely carved their own woodblocks for printing; rather, production was divided between the artist, who designed the prints; the carver, who cut the woodblocks; the printer, who inked and pressed the woodblocks onto hand-made paper; and the publisher, who financed, promoted, and distributed the works. As printing was done by hand, printers were able to achieve effects impractical with machines, such as the blending or gradation of colors on the printing block. Ukiyo-e was central to forming the West's perception of Japanese art in the late 19th century-especially the landscapes of Hokusai and Hiroshige. From the 1870s Japonism became a prominent trend and had a strong influence on the early Impressionists such as Degas, Manet, and Monet, as well as Post-Impressionists such as van Gogh and Art Nouveau artists such as Toulouse-Lautrec. The 20th century saw a revival in Japanese printmaking: the shin-hanga ("new prints") genre capitalized on Western interest in prints of traditional Japanese scenes, and the sōsaku-hanga ("creative prints") movement promoted individualist works designed, carved, and printed by a single artist. Prints since the late 20th century have continued in an individualist's vein often made with techniques imported from the West.

Utagawa Hiroshige

Utagawa Hiroshige (Japanese: 歌川 広重), also Andō Hiroshige (Japanese: 安藤 広重; 1797 - 12 October 1858), was a Japanese ukiyo-e artist, considered the last great master of that tradition. Hiroshige is best known for his horizontal-format landscape series The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō and for his vertical-format landscape series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. The subjects of his work were atypical of the ukiyo-e genre, whose typical focus was on beautiful women, popular actors, and other scenes of the urban pleasure districts of Japan's Edo period (1603-1868). The popular series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji by Hokusai was a strong influence on Hiroshige's choice of subject, though Hiroshige's approach was more poetic and ambient than Hokusai's bolder, more formal prints. Subtle use of color was essential in Hiroshige's prints, often printed with multiple impressions in the same area and with extensive use of bokashi (color gradation), both of which were rather labor-intensive techniques. For scholars and collectors, Hiroshige's death marked the beginning of a rapid decline in the ukiyo-e genre, especially in the face of the westernization that followed the Meiji Restoration of 1868. Hiroshige's work came to have a marked influence on Western painting towards the close of the 19th century as a part of the trend in Japonism. Western artists, such as Manet and Monet, collected and closely studied Hiroshige's compositions. Vincent van Gogh even went so far as to paint copies of two of Hiroshige's prints from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. Hiroshige produced over 8,000 works.[17] He largely confined himself in his early work to common ukiyo-e themes such as women (美人画 bijin-ga) and actors (役者絵 yakusha-e). Then, after the death of Toyohiro, Hiroshige made a dramatic turnabout, with the 1831 landscape series Famous Views of the Eastern Capital (東都名所 Tōto Meisho) which was critically acclaimed for its composition and colors. This set is generally distinguished from Hiroshige's many print sets depicting Edo by referring to it as Ichiyūsai Gakki, a title derived from the fact that he signed it as Ichiyūsai Hiroshige. The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (1833-1834), his success was assured. These designs were drawn from Hiroshige's actual travels of the full distance of 490 kilometers (300 mi). They included details of date, location, and anecdotes of his fellow travelers, and were immensely popular. In fact, this series was so popular that he reissued it in three versions, one of which was made jointly with Kunisada. Hiroshige went on to produce more than 2000 different prints of Edo and post stations Tōkaidō, as well as series such as The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaidō (1834-1842) and his own Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (1852-1858). Of his estimated total of 5000 designs, these landscapes comprised the largest proportion of any genre. He dominated landscape printmaking with his unique brand of intimate, almost small-scale works compared against the older traditions of landscape painting descended from Chinese landscape painters such as Sesshu. The travel prints generally depict travelers along famous routes experiencing the special attractions of various stops along the way. They travel in the rain, in snow, and during all of the seasons. In 1856, working with the publisher Uoya Eikichi, he created a series of luxury edition prints, made with the finest printing techniques including true gradation of color, the addition of mica to lend a unique iridescent effect, embossing, fabric printing, blind printing, and the use of glue printing (wherein ink is mixed with glue for a glittery effect). Hiroshige pioneered the use of the vertical format in landscape printing in his series Famous Views of the Sixty-odd Provinces. One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (issued serially between 1856 and 1859) was immensely popular. The set was published posthumously and some prints had not been completed — he had created over 100 on his own, but two were added by Hiroshige II after his death. Hiroshige was a member of the Utagawa school, along with Kunisada and Kuniyoshi. The Utagawa school comprised dozens of artists and stood at the forefront of 19th-century woodblock prints. Particularly noteworthy for their actor and historical prints, members of the Utagawa school were nonetheless well-versed in all of the popular genres. During Hiroshige's time, the print industry was booming, and the consumer audience for prints was growing rapidly. Prior to this time, most print series had been issued in small sets, such as ten or twelve designs per series. Increasingly large series were produced to meet demand, and this trend can be seen in Hiroshige's work, such as The Sixty-nine Stations of the Kisokaidō and One Hundred Famous Views of Edo. In terms of style, Hiroshige is especially noted for using unusual vantage points, seasonal allusions, and striking colors. In particular, he worked extensively within the realm of meisho-e (名所絵) pictures of famous places. During the Edo period, tourism was also booming, leading to increased popular interest in travel. Travel guides abounded, and towns appeared along routes such as the Tōkaidō, a road that connected Edo with Kyoto. In the midst of this burgeoning travel culture, Hiroshige drew upon his own travels, as well as tales of others' adventures, for inspiration in creating his landscapes. For example, in The Fifty-three Stations on the Tōkaidō (1833), he illustrates anecdotes from Travels on the Eastern Seaboard (東海道中膝栗毛 Tōkaidōchū Hizakurige, 1802-1809) by Jippensha Ikku, a comedy describing the adventures of two bumbling travelers as they make their way along the same road. Hiroshige's The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō (1833-1834) and One Hundred Famous Views of Edo (1856-1858) greatly influenced French Impressionists such as Monet. Vincent van Gogh copied two of the One Hundred Famous Views of Edo which were among his collection of ukiyo-e prints. Hiroshige's style also influenced the Mir iskusstva, a 20th-century Russian art movement in which Ivan Bilibin was a major artist.[citation needed] Cézanne and Whistler were also amongst those under Hiroshige's influence.[19] Hiroshige was regarded by Louise Gonse, director of the influential Gazette des Beaux-Arts and author of the two-volume L'Art Japonais in 1883, as the greatest painter of landscapes of the 19th century.

CITY LIFE: an ukiyo-e subject

Utagawa Kuniyasu. Fish Market at the Nihonbashi (name of the bridge) 1820-30, color woodblock triptych • Situated between two bridges this popular shopping place was a very busy urban spot. • Salesmen and customers are seen including a Samurai man hiding his face behind a fan. • Fish was an important part of the cuisine. Sushi was invented in the 19th century, and although not visible here, it can be seen in a couple of other prints. • An example of city life, with a mix of the people who lived in Edo having every- day types of experiences. This is typical of many ukiyo-e prints. • The people and the landscape share the print. The landscape background is behind the figures, the things furthest away, like Mt. Fuji is at the top of the print.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi

Utagawa Kuniyoshi (歌川 國芳, January 1, 1798 - April 14, 1861) was one of the last great masters of the Japanese ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints and painting. He was a member of the Utagawa school. The range of Kuniyoshi's subjects included many genres: landscapes, beautiful women, Kabuki actors, cats, and mythical animals. He is known for depictions of the battles of legendary samurai heroes. His artwork incorporated aspects of Western representation in landscape painting and caricature.

Kuniyoshi

c.1827-3Yan Quinn the Prodigy from Series 108 Popular Heroes (Shui Huzhauan or Bakin's Suikoden translation published in 1805). Based images on sculptures from the Edo temple Gohyaku Rakanji. • First large series of "hero" prints. • Yan Qing known for his martial art prowess and tattoos was a fictional character from a Chinese novel, Outlaws of the Marsh, which had recently been translated into Japanese. • Stories in this book were escapist and adventurous very popular especially since the characters were fighting corrupt government officials (like Robin Hood). • Here Yan Qing is at the top of the roof in a vertical print. his is skin is patterned by tattoos. His feet are pointed up the roof but his body is twisted back so he faces his pursuers who tumble back down the roof. Their limbs and bodies akimbo. • Subjects treated melodramatically in the series with many patterns and details. The style could be described as baroque. • Tiles are scattered off the roof, some overlap the full moon on the left. But overall the busy patterns flatten the space. A somewhat similar European style is seen in the detailed Pre-Raphaelites paintings-where the rich detail throughout the paintings diminishes the focus. • Note the inclusion of the narrative text on the pictorial surface. This text would be read from top to bottom, right to left. History themes were banned during the Edo period; however, this did not affect the audience's demand for such subjects-most often disguised in plays. Kuniyoshi's warrior prints evolved into Japanese subjects as the Genpei wars with the feud between the samurai families of the Minamoto and the Taira in 12C.

Chonin

craftspeople and merchant traders; considered socially lower than peasants, but led better lives and made more money, and paid fewer taxes. townspeople (did not include daimyo, samurai nor human). Chōnin (町人, "townsman") was a social class that emerged in Japan during the early years of the Tokugawa period. The majority of chōnin were merchants, but some were craftsmen, as well. Nōmin (農民, "farmers") were not considered chōnin.

mie

mie = a kabuki pose (think Madonna's "strike a pose") surimono

BERTHE MORISOT (1841-1895)

one of the first women of Impressionist painters; Young Girl by the Window France. 858 cataloged works the majority depict women, others landscapes and still-lifes. Only 5 men in all of her paintings. 1864 was her first Academy Salon. Don't worry about the dates below, but do understand the concepts of training for women artists and Morisot's exhibition path. • She was from the bourgeois class, educated and trained by private tutors and painting instructors. She and her sister were educated because of her family's privileged position in society. However, the intention was only to have them learn the art as an ornamental accomplishment, not as a profession. The landscape painter Corot was a family member and they were also related to 18th-century painter Fragonard (Fragonard's daughter in the 18th century was also an artist). • One of Berthe Morisot's painting instructors warned her mother of impending social disaster. He said her daughters were so talented that they could be professional painters rather than accomplished ladies. Despite this, their mother did not suspend instruction and in 1858, the sisters received copying tickets to the Louvre. Corot gave them his landscape paintings to copy. • In 1864 the Morisot sisters exhibited at the Salon and continued to exhibit annually until 1868. Edma M. stopped her public career when she married in 1868. Berthe M. continued to show until 1873. • In 1868 Morisot and the Manet families became friends. B. Morisot modeled for Manet 12 times and he gave her advice. • However, it is reported that he wasn't that supportive of her, although her husband was Manet's brother was very supportive of his wife's ambition. "Manet supported Morisot much less and tried if anything to play down her role as a talented and successful woman artist" (Pfeiffer 2008 pp 23-25). Morisot recommended that Manet paints in the open air. Morisot recommended Manet lighten his palette, which he did in the early 1870s, and this is why he is often thought to be an Impressionist since formally he became more like them. • Degas encouraged Morisot. He invited her to participate in the first Impressionist exhibition and recommended her to the gallerist Paul Durand-Ruel who was the primary seller of her work from 1873 on. • When B. Morisot started exhibiting with the Impressionists she stopped exhibiting at the Salon. Morisot fits in with the Impressionists not only because of her formal choices like sketchy brushwork and finishes but also because she was a painter of everyday life rather than academic themes like mythology etc.

Farmers

outside of the city centers-the power of this class was philosophical.

Artisans

skilled workers who make goods by hand. Made things, labored with their own hands. Not from groups 1, 2, 4, nor daimyo nor hinan.

mon

the emblem/logo/crest of a familial dynasty (often seen in kabuki prints but also seen on courtesan kimono)

Surimono

the first multicolored/brocade prints were privately commissioned surimono prints. These commissions allowed publishers to experiment with new and costly processes and materials. Surimono with calendrical information were sometimes distributed by groups to their members as deluxe editions. Since poetry groups often commissioned surimono, poetry might be a feature of the print. The deluxe elements include: • Early adoption of multiple colors and newly introduced colors • Embossing Heavy paper-which were necessary because of the processes. Better inks used that seeped into Hosho, mulberry paper of higher quality. • Poetry • Often square in shape which makes them easy to recognize even when you don't understand the subject. Once you recognize the shape you can start looking for the deluxe elements.

HONORÉ DAUMIER

was employed as an illustrator by Philipon printmaker, painter, and sculptor. He infrequently displayed paintings at the Salon, and I doubt that he was a member of the Royal Academy

KIYONAGA Asukayama at "Cherry-blossom time" c. 1785

woodblock triptych • People of all classes mixed when viewing the spectacle of cherry blossoms. • There are 3 figures in the foreground of the end panels, 2 women and a child. In the center panel are two women. However, there is no fear of asymmetry in Japanese art. • Left panel hats of women of the daimyo like sailor caps, they have a child with them in kimono. • Center panel townswomen-obis tied at back. • The daimyo women run into the town women on the right in this favorite pastime. • On the right courtesans are the ones with their obi's tied to the front. • Courtesans either geta or barefoot. Other women tabi and sandals. • One of the few days of the year that courtesans were given a day off was flower viewing. • The beauty of the cherry blossoms, although blooming annually was short lived. This natural cycle was used as a metaphor for beauty in general, and the beauties in the Yoshiwara in particular. • Cherry trees were also planted in the brothel district. A nickname for courtesans was cherries of the night. • Background shows more cherry trees and viewers. Center panel figures seated on a picnic blanket; they are relaxing and looking through telescope. City in the distance.

VENDOME COLUMN Saga

• (Figs.1 & 2) During the reign of Napoleon I the Vendome column, a public monument, was built and a statue of Napoleon I placed on the top dressed as a Roman Emperor (1806). Supposedly captured cannons were used to make this column and statue. • Modeled after the columns of the Roman period that were typically erected to commemorate a military victory. Wrapped around the column were reliefs made of bronze commemorating one of Napoleon's military campaigns (sculptor Pierre Bergeret). The sculpture of Napoleon is done in the neoclassical style, crowned with a traditional laurel (plant) wreath and holding a little sculpture of a winged Victory (allegorical female character)(sculptor Antoine Chaudet). • (Fig. 3) An early 17th-century sculpture of Henry IV (Bourbon King) placed on a bridge was destroyed during the first French Revolution. I seem to remember that only the figure of Henry IV has destroyed and not the horse. (Sorry, I cannot find my source to confirm this.) • After Napoleon, I was defeated at Waterloo, and the Bourbon line of kings restored (Louis XVIII) the Vendome Napoleon, statue only (Fig. 2) was removed and melted. Clearly, the Bourbon kings were not fans of Napoleon but left the bronze friezes because they commemorated a victory achieved by the French army. The metal from the statue was combined with that of another melted Napoleonic statue to make a replacement statue of Henry IV (Fig. 4). The horse from statue one was found and used again. • (Figs. 5& 6) During the July Monarchy, Louis-Philippe "King of the French," commissioned another statue of Napoleon for the top of the Vendome Column. However, this time "Napoleon as the little corporal" was portrayed rather than Napoleon as a Roman emperor (1831)(sculptor Charles Seurre). • In 1863 Emperor Napoleon III (nephew) replaced the statue on top of the Vendome Column with a copy of the original sculpture of Napoleon I as a Roman Emperor. Evidently, the diminished grandeur of Napoleon I portrayed as a little corporal did not match Napoleon III's "dreams" of grandeur. The new statue was intended to improve the remodeled square completed during Haussmann's renovations of Paris. • Because of its association with Napoleonic emperors the Parisian Communards during France's final revolution (1871), destroyed the entire monument. For the Communard revolutionaries, the sculpture represented Napoleonic dictatorship and they had just gotten out from under the thumb of another Napoleon emperor. Although the top sculpture and column support was destroyed the bronze friezes that wrapped around it were preserved. Among those involved in the destruction was the artist Gustave Courbet. • Courbet was arrested in June of 1871 after the defeat of the Commune and imprisoned for his role in the "destruction." After Courbet was released he returned to Ornans where he painted fish and fruit, very uncontroversial subjects if compared to his earlier paintings. • 1873-74 the new democratic government ordered the column to be repaired and topped with another replica (2nd replica) of the original Napoleon I statue. Courbet was asked to pay for the replacement of the column. He transferred the title of many paintings to friends and family and fled to Switzerland to escape the debt. At the end of his life, he negotiated a payment plan so that he would be allowed to return to France, but he died in Switzerland where he became very wealthy painting landscapes and portraits. • Figures 1 & 2 reflect what it looks like today.

VENDOME COLUMN Saga

• (Figs.1 & 2) During the reign of Napoleon I the Vendome column, a public monument, was built and a statue of Napoleon I placed on the top dressed as a Roman Emperor (1806). Supposedly captured cannons were used to make this column and statue. • Modelled after the columns of the Roman period that were typically erected to commemorate a military victory. Wrapped around the column were reliefs made of bronze commemorating one of Napoleon's military campaigns (sculptor Pierre Bergeret). The sculpture of Napoleon is done in the neoclassical style, crowned with a traditional laurel (plant) wreath and holding a little sculpture of a winged Victory (allegorical female character)(sculptor Antoine Chaudet). • (Fig. 3) An early 17th century sculpture of Henry IV (Bourbon King) placed on a bridge was destroyed during the first French Revolution. I seem to remember that only the figure of Henry IV was destroyed and not the horsie. (Sorry, I cannot find my source to confirm this.) • After Napoleon I was defeated at Waterloo, and the Bourbon line of kings restored (Louis XVIII) the Vendome Napoleon, statue only (Fig. 2) was removed and melted. Clearly the Bourbon kings were not fans of Napoleon but left the bronze friezes because they commemorated a victory achieved by the French army. The metal from statue was combined with that of another melted Napoleonic statue to make a replacement statue of Henry IV (Fig. 4). The horsie from statue one was found and used again. • (Figs. 5& 6) During the July Monarchy, Louis-Philippe "King of the French," commissioned another statue of Napoleon for the top of the Vendome Column. However, this time "Napoleon as the little corporal" was portrayed rather than Napoleon as a Roman emperor (1831)(sculptor Charles Seurre).

Japanese print themes/subjects

• Beautiful women pictures include: o courtesans from brothels o or townswomen o some could be considered genre pictures, some were portraits-a type of celebrity art. • Shunga (erotica) 25% of Edo prints, but sold below the counters-hypothetically banned. • Kabuki & puppet theater subjects (some at the level of celebrity art). • Genre subjects-everyday subjects sometimes with landscape backgrounds. Shopping, special holidays, having tea, and strolling out-of-doors are among a wide variety of genre themes. • Still-lifes with objects of all sorts including prints and fashionable clothing (including printed fashion books). Sometimes such objects were included in any of themes above. • Landscapes (often with genre elements). The expansion of this theme in the 19th century corresponds with a higher level of aesthetic achievement in the prints. Some landscapes seem less about the land and more about a cityscape, but unless the activities of at least some of the individual figures are recognizable it will still be a landscape. • Sumo wrestling subjects-sumo matches were very popular and teams were sponsored by the daimyo. • Privately commissioned surimono prints-could include still-life elements or any other subject such as landscape or genre. • More Portraiture was allowed in the later 19th century. In both the 18th and 19th centuries individually named portraits were censored because the government thought their celebrity was threatening. Most of the people represented in portraits, genre, and landscapes prints were townspeople of the 3rd, 4th and below the lowest classes. The government did not want print designers to have the power of representing them. • History stories were more common in the later 19th century, although occasionally a contemporary history subject might be portrayed. To reiterate, the daimyo actively discouraged the representation of specific persons of their class in prints, although were not so bothered if the representation was neutral rather than critical. This was also true if the daimyo and samurai portrayed in kabuki plays. Critical plays might be shut down, theater owners fined. • Parody prints were sometimes historic or literary themes populated with contemporary characters-for examples known contemporary courtesans shown in the representation of a historic story like the "Tale of Genji." • Sensational news stories [second half of the 19th century]

HOKUSAI Thirty-six views of Mt. Fuji, in modern times, came to be called "Red Fuji."

• In the right foreground, the silhouette of a conical mountain is portrayed seen from the eastern side as the sun rises. • The mountain takes up most of the space of the print • The upper 1/2 of the mountain is red-not one of the first 5 prints. • The red area corresponds generally with the black and grey ash on the mountain that turns pink under the rays of the sun. • The red area seems to have texture but this is a result of the wood matrix and how the ink was laid on the wood for printing. • There is no middle ground, but behind the mountain is a sky with white clouds. • There is a dark blue, a graduated band of ink at the top of the horizontal print. Long white clouds (sardine clouds) are silhouetted against the blue sky. • Around the peak of the mountain are fewer clouds and the blue is deeper which brings the reddish brown tone forward. • The mountain is outlined and this contributes to the flattening effect despite our knowledge that the mountain is a cone and should arc

EVOLUTION OF COLORED PRINTS

• Late 17th century prints consist of black lines on white paper. • Some 17th and 18th-century colored prints were hand painted, including prints with a dark black (supposed to look like lacquer). • The 1740s added color through the addition of one to three blocks. • 1765 more printed colors added • Cheaper illustrated books were not colored. multiple colors 1. A new alignment/registration system made it possible to add additional colors via separate inked blocks. These prints are referred to in English as brocade prints. After 1765 4-5 blocks were used but over time it was not uncommon to use more than one dozen colors, although not necessarily all from separate wood blocks. Colors used in brocade prints subtler, backgrounds also colored using the whole surface of the print. Designers realized that more colors were not necessarily better and commercially they were more expensive to produce and to buy. Up to 25 different colors were sometimes used, mostly in the 19th century. An experienced printer might make up to 3,000 sheets a day of a single color-when a print was multicolored, there would be fewer. 2. The paper would typically bed ampenedifit were thick,butearlyJapanese papers were quite thin. Weather could be a factor in printing. 3. Because of this technology change, the expression of interests and concerns developed. 4. Designs became more skilled and their aesthetic range was developed. 5. Backgrounds were no longer just props, objects acquired more weight. 6. After 1765 true portraits where the features of individuals such as actors were more carefully delineated. Previously faces indistinguishable from one another, only identifiable by mon on kimono referenced an individual. GROWTH IN LANDSCAPE PRINTS: Class, taste, and travel In the 19th century landscape prints increased in popularity. What started out as a rigid system of social stratification with merchants at the bottom of the social classes was not so closely guarded by the end of the 18th century. The 11th Tokugawa shogun Ienari seemed to embrace the ukiyo to the point of building a version of the Yoshiwara brothel district on the grounds of his castle. Outside of the castle, the pleasure district was thriving. Development of industry and commerce, previously scorned although financially lucrative, started being supported by the daimyo in various provinces. Mixing between the samurai and the merchant classes in marriage became more common. Hokusai was adopted into the family of an artisan who worked for the ruling Shogun. His son was adopted into a samurai family. An appreciation of landscape painting in the Chinese/Japanese tradition was part of an aesthetic tradition and the daimyo and samurai were educated to appreciate and even produce such paintings. Landscapes were at the top of the hierarchy of subjects. The Chinese term for landscape is made up of two characters meaning "mountains and water." In the Chinese tradition, the representation of the landscape elements is less important than the symbolism of the landscape. The educated viewer was to appreciate the representation of nature, especially the mountain as a connector between heaven and earth. Not until later was it important that a specific mountain be recognizable. Education and Taste: the historical context of the increase in landscape prints coincides with the evolution of taste. By this, I mean that those who were the primary market for the prints, the chain, were better educated and their position as taste setters grew beyond the subjects shown in the earliest 18th-century prints. Classic literati landscape painting the was the most important subject in samurai and daimyo art education, however, in the 19th century, it transformed to meet the new needs of the market. • When the prints first started themes of the "ukiyo" focused on entertainments, courtesans and kabuki actors being the main subjects. • Landscapes were a common subject in paintings were not common in prints until the 1830s. When there were landscape prints in the 18th century, even in the early 19th century they didn't fly off the shelves. • As the audience for prints evolved so to the classic landscape subject was transformed to meet the needs of its audience. Another historic context for the increase in landscape prints was an increase in domestic travel. Travel: in the 19th-century government control weakened. One result was travel became more common among the non-ruling classes for business and pleasure. Four point seven million people visited the Great Ise shrine in 1830 over a 6 month period. Today an average of 6 million a year visit the shrine (Shinto pilgrimage site). o Government statistics document the intensification of travel in Japan. The first three decades of the 19th century was prosperous; education and commodity production was in a growth period. o Ise was not the only travel destination; historic and religious sites were visited throughout the country on extended trips or day-trips within Edo itself. Tourist items (prints), travel conveniences such as inns, restaurants and temporary companions thrived in the 19th century. Because of the travel required for commerce and government, Japanese roads were already outstanding and well maintained. To facilitate travel merchants developed a system of financial credit that allowed for travel without carrying large amounts of cash (yes there was life before debit and credit cards). One could even purchase travel insurance. Among the commodities produced were illustrated travel guides and woodblock prints of sold at various travel sites. Novelty: another consideration was novelty. Landscapes as a theme were new print subjects. Consumers yearned for the newest thing. Landscape prints were not just about a personal appreciation of land and nature, but also a reflection of the Edo society. Many landscape prints included people inhabiting/visiting sites that Japanese people regularly viewed and appreciated. *European artists also made artworks of tourist destination Turner and Canaletto painted Venice-often shown filled with the characters of the city-the beautiful reflective canals almost always have a gondola. Friedrich pictured sublime vistas of mountains, valleys, seas often with a sublime twist. All of these sites were recognizable to the viewers of the time period. A Sense of Place: Japanese landscapes of the later Edo period by Hokusai and Hiroshige, demonstrate not only an appreciation of nature, but also a strong sense place that was an aspect of Japanese identity. The popularity of beautiful women prints decreased with the introduction of the landscape as well as warrior prints. See Eisen print above as an example of a print that reflects the decline in the popularity of brothel subjects. Although aware of western perspective the complexity of designs sometimes transcended both tradition and western visual system desirable. Spatial cleverness was novel. 5. Subject: Warriors UTAGAWA KUNIYOSHI (1797-1861) Son of a cloth dyer. A member of the Utagawa school. Studied with Utagawa Toyokuni who was a family friend. Was given the right to use the Utagawa name around 1814 after a 4 year apprenticeship. Also studied with a Tosa and Kano school teachers. During the 19th century warrior prints increased in popularity. Kuniyoshi became known for his warrior prints (musha-e), although he was not the first to explore these themes. Like Hokusai and later Yoshitoshi he also did ghosts, which further increased his popularity.

KABUKI THEMES: ukiyo-e subjects

• Many Kabuki plays were history stories, although historic, their morality was ideal for the regime since they reflected the samurai ethic. • It was forbidden to write plays about the affairs of the daimyo, although this was very tempting. Sometimes theaters would try to hide an exciting current event, inside the wrapper of a historical story. • Everyday stories were also told featuring home/domestic stories, the lives of shop-keepers, artisans, prostitutes etc. • Courtesans in kabuki play sold themselves into prostitution to save their family. In this way, a woman (usually higher class women) could be heroic by sacrificing themselves into sexual servitude. A courtesan might be depicted as being loyal to their particular lover-ironic given their occupation. Loyalty and love were the fantasy of courtesans and client, fundamental to the masquerade. In reality, courtesans were under enormous pressure to meet their quota. On the stage or in beautiful women pictures, prostitutes are depicted with a sense of pride, spirit, haughtiness, and sometimes in-love. (In reality, the vast majority of courtesans were purchased from their impoverished parents and imprisoned by their debt until their beauty faded). • Plays were an emotional outlet for the population. Theater during the day and prostitution at night could thus provide 24 hours of pleasurable entertainment. The prostitution was for male clients only, however, men and women could attend the theater. They were tolerated by the daimyo as vulgar diversions and necessary evils. It was believed that the population of major cities decrease if amusements were not available. Both prostitution and kabuki were regulated. Ironically, they were a source of class mixing because although they were discouraged samurai in these recreations

Hiroshige. One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, 1856-1858, a series of 118 prints. Series enticed customers to pre-order designs

• Meaning of the title-historic literary works such as 100 Poets well known. Title aligns with this tradition. • Looked for famous places in Edo, although he added some "less famous" places to distinguish his project. • Although there are many views of Mt. Fuji in Hiroshige's prints they are not in every view from this series. • Less urban than today's Tokyo, still rice paddies and open areas of the countryside. • Many of the scenes are connected to a particular season. Hiroshige was interested in seasons, weather, and time of day. • A particular type of leisure activity is often associated with the sites. • Mostly the views are idyllic-"reassuring pictures of an orderly, peaceful world, symbolizing harmonious Tokugawa rule" (Pollard & Watanabe, Hiroshige Landscape, Cityscape, 2014). This was despite the actual discontent in Japan over the shogun's autocratic rule, threatening foreign powers and the massive earthquake in 1855 that destroyed much of the city and killed 10,000 inhabitants. Hiroshige literally reconstructs the city pictorially. • The entire series was colorful and printed in a vertical format harkening back to the format of traditional paintings. • This series was very influential on Western Artists-some of who collected the prints themselves or saw them exhibited in Parisian galleries or expositions

HIROSHIGE, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo-title/subject Night view of the Theater District.

• Men and women frequented went to Kabuki theater during the day performances. At night it was a casual area where townspeople strolled, looked at billboards of performances, and bought sushi from vendors. • Shadows were common in Western art but not in Japanese prints. Here the figures cast shadows because of the moonlight. A reminder: theaters did not have performances at night-the brothel districts were open for business at night but only for male clients. • Even prints completed after this one by Hiroshige do not portray a shadow cast as a result of natural phenomena. Shoji screen shadows (see Moon and Shadow below) were more a popular motif. • The street is rendered in the Western System of Perspective that was adopted by the Japanese in certain prints as early as the 18th century.

ukiyo-zoshi

"Books of the Floating World", first written in reference to amorous or erotic works but later came to encompass a variety of subjects. Examples: Life of an Amorous Man/Woman. Characterized by intense realism. Deep thought and emotion were too close to the harsh face of reality, these were to be avoided in favor of a decorative and formalized surface life. Iki was a term used to describe physically stylish persons who had knowledge of the best manners but could also be outrageous-although seldom rude.

Daimyo-lord

(Top/above the class levels)-they often trained to be samurai, although they were above ordinary samurai.

TOSHUSAI SHARAKU-Kabuki Actor

(active only 1794-95) Best known for his actor prints. Career not very successful. Came on the scene in Spring of 1794, produced 140-160 print designs published by Tsutaya Jazaburo and disappeared after 1795. Reason for this recorded in a book from the time by Ota Nampo in Reflections on Ukiyo-e: Sharaku designed portraits of Kabuki actors, but in attempting to achieve extreme realism he drew people as they are not and was thus not long in demand, ceasing to work within a year or two. Did not idealize as much. His big innovation was not popular. They were less about realism and more about character. His career very short, however, he had the major influence on other artists. (Otani Oniji III as Yakko Edobie in the play "the Colored reins of a Loving Wife." 1794. Multi-color woodblock prints with white mica on paper. 15 x 10 inches. The character played is a manservant to a samurai. This type of manservant was ordered to perform violent acts, hence his excited hand gestures and expression. • A single figure in partial profile; chest and head portrait silhouetted against a dark background (background often covered with powdered metals). The figure fills up most of the space. • The exaggerated facial expression is intended to capture the peak of intensity in the kabuki performance. Each iris is moved to center of the face in the direction of the nose. The glaring eyes were intended to scare away opponents. • Makeup color symbolism: red stripes are worn by the hero. Their opponents have black, blue or even purple stripes. Blue might indicate some kind of supernatural creature. Greys and browns an animal or monster. • The intensity of the moment is also portrayed in the splayed fingers of the hand gesture. • Actors in prints were often portrayed in their most famous roles, and at a climactic moment of the play. A "mie" is when the actors posed on stage, but is not uncommon in a print. Although in the 19th century, the everyday lives of actors were popular in prints. • The hair is in the center the head is in the right half, turned towards the right. • Sharaku did not idealize his subjects, however he did not attempt to represent them realistically either. SHARAKU-Kabuki actor in a female role • Actor Yamashita Kinsale as Iwate, Wife of Sadato, 1794. Multi-color woodblock print. • Single, central, full figure, body facing to the right but the head is twisted to the left. The figure stands under an umbrella (that is cropped). The figure is placed against an open background. • The man played the roles of woman in kabuki performances, although there were women actresses in kabuki plays when it started in the 17th century. Today although women can play roles in contemporary theater, the all-male tradition is more common. • This man wears women's clothing, the white hair covering/that indicates that the woman he plays was a character from the upper classes. The yellow hair cap below the white hat is covering his shaved head. Adult men shaved part of their hair on the tops of their heads. • Typically, a female impersonator's face, nose, torso, and shoulders would be heavier than a woman. This is despite the heavy layering of kimonos in a woman's attire. • It was not as if the audience did not know that the figure on stage was a man. It was their premise that the behavior of the actor was the essence of womanhood- according to a man. The audiences liked, and continue to like this twist. • Makeup on the men playing women's roles did not include the stripes and colors common on male characters.

HARUNOBU Woman with a shadow

1765-70. Multi colored woodblock • curves of woman against a geometric background • Behind fence the top of a flowering tree • tones of brown and grey • The playful umbrella has a shadow showing the influence of western prints What is this woman's status? A new clue to her social class is her hair covering...what is her class? Not quite the sailor cap of the daimyo this woman is likely keeping her hair in order as she goes to her job in a kitchen.

HARUNOBU Plum blossoms along the fence

1765-70. Multi colored woodblock print (grey, green, salmon, black, brown, and yellow). Come to class for notes. Hint: the issues are pattern and line.

Okubi-e Big Head Prints

1790s fashionable print style. These were prints with large faces, and although there was nothing wrong with them that is easily perceivable. They were banned because they were considered somehow too conspicuous, yet they were popular.

Edo/Edo Period

Also known as the Tokugawa period because Tokugawa moved the capital to here (modern-day Tokyo)- was marked by a reversal in attitudes toward Western influences. In about two decades, Christians were beginning to be persecuted. Then the National Seclusion policy was made to prohibited Japanese to travel abroad. The Edo period (江戸時代 Edo jidai) or Tokugawa period (徳川時代) is the period between 1603 and 1868 in the history of Japan when Japanese society was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional daimyō. The period was characterized by economic growth, strict social order, isolationist foreign policies, a stable population, "no more wars", and popular enjoyment of arts and culture. The shogunate was officially established in Edo on March 24, 1603, by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period came to an end with the Meiji Restoration on May 3, 1868, after the fall of Edo. The shogunate was officially established in Edo on March 24, 1603, by Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period came to an end with the Meiji Restoration on May 3, 1868, after the fall of Edo.

MARY STEVESON CASSATT (1844-1926)

American but spent many years in France. Oeuvre 943 oil paintings and pastels. • An upper-middle-class woman, father a banker. The family took extended tours to Europe when she was a child. She studied in the US (at the Pennsylvania Academy of Art) and in Paris. She exhibited at the French Salons in the years 1872, 73 and 74. In the mid-70s she moved to Paris, entire family joined her in 1877, and for the most part, she supported them financially from her art sales and her actions as a broker for American families who wanted to buy European art. • In 1879, she was asked to exhibit in the 4th Impressionist show. • Edgar Degas was a friend and he recommended that Cassatt paint everyday life from the point of view of a woman. But Cassatt was already heading in this direction prior to his comment. For all the paintings you will study: Formally all of Cassatt's significant paintings are non-academic in composition, finish-level, and brushwork, and often in color use.

J.M.W. TURNER

An English romantic painter of the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, known especially for his dramatic, lavishly colored landscapes and seascapes. 1775-1851, 550 oil paintings, 1,500 watercolors. Was from a lower working class background; he was born and lived in London. Traveled to France and Italy. • Elected to the Royal Academy in 1799, elected a full member in 1802. • Turner's ambition was to elevate landscapes to the status of history paintings. The strategy he used was to incorporate small figures from historical narratives into his landscapes and reflect these figures by the painting titles. He also made his landscapes equal in size to many history paintings. • Turner animated his landscapes by using many active lines • Exhibition & Distribution: opened his own art gallery to sell his art • Exhibition & Distribution: hired printmakers to make copies of his paintings to increase his fame and income.

Impressionism

An artistic movement that sought to capture a momentary feel, or impression, of the piece they were drawing. Private Company of Artists (other books refer to the Anonymous Society of Artists) In our class you can simply refer to it as the Impressionist group-we will use the same term Impressionist or Impressionism for the style period. Another nickname they were given was "Independent artists." • The first impressionist exhibition in 1874 was a business venture. There was a short period of economic growth after the end of the Franco-Prussian War (1871), however by the end of 1873 there was an economic depression. Durand-Ruel an art dealer supportive of new artists had to suspend acquisitions in part because the new art was not selling well. The idea of organizing an exhibition in order to show and sell was well received by a group of new artists. Although it is noted in the literature that it was a challenge to organize. • Past salon juries accepted some art by these new artists, but as the evolved, for the most part, they were consistently refused. • In 1873 there were another Salon des Refuses this time named "Art Exhibition for Refused works." Renoir, Jongkind and Eva Gonzalez from the "soon to be" Impressionist group participated. • Their first artist organized private exhibition included 150 to 165 works by 29 to 33 artists in a studio of the photographer Nadar was no longer using. Thirty thousand five hundred people attended the 4-week exhibition or as few as 4,000 since this figure varies hugely in scholarly literature. It was announced and reviewed in several newspapers. The artist's shared a subscription fee and visitors to the exhibit paid a small entry fee. Despite the efforts of the Impressionist artists, the 1874 Academy Salon had many more visitors than the Impressionist exhibition. • Degas was concerned that this exhibition would be compared with the Salons des Refuses of 1873. An important difference is that the Impressionist exhibition was self- organized. Some called this exposition the "Exposition of the Revolters," yes they were trying to make it sound revolting (ha ha). • The Impressionists were sometimes referred to as "intransigent." (Definition of intransigent- characterized by a refusal to compromise or to abandon an often extreme position or attitude. Synonym-uncompromising.) • Those exhibiting in 1874 Impressionist exhibition, agreed not to send any work to the Salon that year (again so that the exhibition would not be considered another group of refusés). However, since the exhibitors chose the work they would show, there was no control over whether the work was new or old. You may conclude that some of the older works may have been refused by Salon juries. • The second of the eight Impressionist exhibitions were held in Durand-Ruel's studio who had by then resumed his support of these artists. Monet, Impression, Sunrise OC 1872 18 x 24 in. Today in the Marmottan Museum in Paris. • Exhibited in the first Impressionist Exhibition in 1874. • This painting is associated with the naming of the group. An art critic intended it as a denouncement, but by the 1890s it was being used positively as the group's label 1. When the Impressionists exhibition as a group they defied the authority of the Academy and its Salon as the primary exhibiting site. Artist's such as David, Courbet and Manet had set up exhibitions in lieu of the Salon but no large groups like this. The Salon de Refuses does not count since this was organized by the Academy. 2. They also rejected certain Academic formal techniques/standards: Color usage: • Impressionist artist's color was dependent on how the artists were seeing light and shadow-particularly when they observed that light and shadow were made up of reflected colors. • Impressionist artist's color was also important in terms of developing space. Sometimes in paintings such as Monet's version of the "Frog Pond" space is deliberately flattened by warm light colors being placed in the background, which can make the background seem to come forward. This is a reversal of how Academy artists would use color to develop an illusionistic space. • Plein-air painters. Most Impressionists, but not all, painted out-of-doors if the scene was set out-of-doors. This being said, the artist did have an idea of how she/he wanted to see the world. His/her vision of light, color, and shadow were not solely reactive, rather it was purposeful. • The Impressionists were accused of being "sketchy." The way the Impressionists painted, the viewer's eye resolved the work thus the public had to participate in the painting. However, this should not be confused with the expectation that the viewer's eyes mixed the colors (optical mixing is discussed further on in these notes). • The figures might be unevenly painted. Composition: • Figures might be cropped or fragmented. 3. Impressionists deliberately rejected the subject matter that the Academy thought was most important: mythology, religion, and other historical topics. Instead, the Impressionists focused on subjects of everyday life-some were already introduced by Courbet and these continued to be portrayed although without a claim of heroism. • The "Impressionists" Degas and Lautrec follow Manet's lead by depicting modern women: prostitutes and other working-women such as laundresses or milliners. • Some of the artists represented fashionable middle-class people involved in daily life aka routine activities. Picnics, many picnics like activities. • The women Impressionist's, in particular, examined the private lives of women and children. Cassatt sometimes represented middle-class women involved in new activities. Morisot tried to represent the female nude, although in the context of the toilette rather than the brothel. Given her own gender, her figures should also be considered in terms of her sexual awareness, but not in the same way as Manet's nudes, since Morisot does not represent the male modernists' theme of a "new" modern morality. • Impressionist artists did many landscape paintings-but they did not execute them in order to achieve a sublime effect. • In their exhibitions, Impressionists did not favor certain artistic genres over others. At their first exhibition, the artists' paintings were hung alphabetically, but the Academy's Salon had changed their exhibition scheme, likely because the new exhibition rooms were not so tall as the Louvre's gallery exhibitions. A major difference between the Salon and Impressionist exhibitions was that rather than the jury selecting the works to be shown, Impressionist artists chose the works they wanted to show. • It is important to note that although these rebel Impressionists changed the art world of their day, they did receive fairly ordinary training. The traditional French Academy did not have much standing by the end of the 19th century, but the tradition of an artist being trained by a master artist continued. There was already a trend of more art schools popping up regionally and even in the big cities. Women were allowed in these unofficial schools and finally in 1897 women were admitted to the French Academy school. ADVANCED IMPRESSIONISM: COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT COLOR • The Impressionists practiced "optical mixing." The artists intended that the viewer visually mix pure color brushstrokes together to make a second color. For example, if the colors blue and yellow were put together, the viewer would see green. Contradicting the idea of optical mixing is the evidence of Impressionist canvases. Artists commonly put blue and green beside one another in paintings. Sometimes beside blue and yellow paint, artists applied green paint. Additionally, the size of Impressionists brushstrokes is too big for the optical fusing to take place at normal viewing distances. Thus Impressionist optical mixing is a misconception. • It was thought that the use of pure colors would make the paintings brighter. If optical mixing was used it would actually result in a less intense brightness. Impressionists liked to use complementary colors and this was intended to make each color more vivid rather than blending colors. • Another myth is that the Impressionists just used 6 or 7 pure hues in their paintings. This idea stems from studies of light in science, however, there is no evidence this in Impressionist paintings. What is true is that Impressionists were excited to try new commercial paint colors as they became available on the market. o The French poet Jules La Forgue wrote in 1883: "In a landscape flooded with light ... where the academic painter sees nothing but a broad expanse of whiteness, the Impressionist sees light as bathing everything not with a dead whiteness, but rather with a thousand vibrant struggling colors ..." (Bomford, 1990). o "The Impressionist sees and renders nature as it is- that is, wholly in the vibration of color. No drawing, light, modeling, perspective, or chiaroscuro ... everything is obtained by a thousand little dancing strokes in every direction like straws of color -- all in vital competition for the whole impression" (Bomford, 1990). *Blended brushstrokes *Unblended, so-called sketchy finishing *Sketchy (loose) brushstrokes that are not blended *shadows denoted by tone vs shading *shadows with color *Shadows and light areas with reflected color. Loose unblended brushstrokes *New commercial pigments; blues and greens together; light primer with canvas texture showing through.

Kabuki Actors

Kabuki (歌舞伎) is a classical Japanese dance-drama. Kabuki theatre is known for the stylization of its drama and for the elaborate make-up worn by some of its performers. The individual kanji, from left to right, mean sing (歌), dance (舞), and skill (伎). Kabuki is therefore sometimes translated as "the art of singing and dancing". These are, however, ateji characters which do not reflect actual etymology. The kanji of 'skill' generally refers to a performer in kabuki theatre. Since the word kabuki is believed to derive from the verb kabuku, meaning "to lean" or "to be out of the ordinary", kabuki can be interpreted as "avant-garde" or "bizarre" theatre. The expression kabukimono (歌舞伎者) referred originally to those who were bizarrely dressed. It is often translated into English as "strange things" or "the crazy ones", and referred to the style of dress worn by gangs of the samurai. In 2005, the Kabuki theatre was proclaimed by UNESCO as an intangible heritage possessing outstanding universal value. In 2008, it was inscribed in the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Katsushika Hokusai

Katsushika Hokusai (葛飾 北斎, About this sound, listen (help·info), c. October 31, 1760 - May 10, 1849) was a Japanese artist, ukiyo-e painter and printmaker of the Edo period.[1] Born in Edo (now Tokyo), Hokusai is best known as author of the woodblock print series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji (富嶽三十六景 Fugaku Sanjūroku-kei, c. 1831) which includes the internationally iconic print, The Great Wave off Kanagawa. Hokusai created the Thirty-Six Views both as a response to a domestic travel boom and as part of a personal obsession with Mount Fuji. It was this series, specifically The Great Wave print and Fine Wind, Clear Morning, that secured Hokusai's fame both in Japan and overseas. As historian Richard Lane concludes, "Indeed, if there is one work that made Hokusai's name, both in Japan and abroad, it must be this monumental print-series". While Hokusai's work prior to this series is certainly important, it was not until this series that he gained broad recognition. Hokusai had a long career, but he produced most of his important work after age 60. His most popular work is the ukiyo-e series Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, which was created between 1826 and 1833. It actually consists of 46 prints (10 of them added after initial publication). In addition, he is responsible for the 1834 One Hundred Views of Mount Fuji (富嶽百景 Fugaku Hyakkei), a work which "is generally considered the masterpiece among his landscape picture books." His ukiyo-e transformed the art form from a style of portraiture focused on the courtesans and actors popular during the Edo period in Japan's cities into a much broader style of art that focused on landscapes, plants, and animals. Both Hokusai's choice of artist name and frequent depiction of Mount Fuji stem from his religious beliefs. The name Hokusai (北斎) means "North Studio (room)," an abbreviation of Hokushinsai (北辰際) or "North Star Studio." Hokusai was a member of the Nichiren sect of Buddhism, who see the North Star as associated with the deity Myōken (妙見菩薩). Mount Fuji has traditionally been linked with eternal life. This belief can be traced to The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, where a goddess deposits the elixir of life on the peak. As Henry Smith expounds, "Thus from an early time, Mt. Fuji was seen as the source of the secret of immortality, a tradition that was at the heart of Hokusai's own obsession with the mountain." The largest of Hokusai's works is the 15-volume collection Hokusai Manga (北斎漫画), a book crammed with nearly 4,000 sketches that were published in 1814. These sketches are often incorrectly considered the precedent to modern manga, as Hokusai's Manga is a collection of sketches (of animals, people, objects, etc.), different from the story-based comic-book style of modern manga.

Kitagawa Utamaro

Kitagawa Utamaro (Japanese: 喜多川 歌麿; c. 1753 - 31 October 1806) was a Japanese artist. He is one of the most highly regarded designers of ukiyo-e woodblock prints and paintings and is best known for his bijin ōkubi-e "large-headed pictures of beautiful women" of the 1790s. He also produced nature studies, particularly illustrated books of insects. Little is known of Utamaro's life. His work began to appear in the 1770s, and he rose to prominence in the early 1790s with his portraits of beauties with exaggerated, elongated features. He produced over 2000 known prints and was one of the few ukiyo-e artists to achieve fame throughout Japan in his lifetime. In 1804 he was arrested and manacled for fifty days for making illegal prints depicting the 16th-century military ruler Toyotomi Hideyoshi and died two years later. Utamaro's work reached Europe in the mid-nineteenth century, where it was very popular, enjoying particular acclaim in France. He influenced the European Impressionists, particularly with his use of partial views and his emphasis on light and shade, which they imitated. The reference to the "Japanese influence" among these artists often refers to the work of Utamaro. Ukiyo-e art flourished in Japan during the Edo period from the seventeenth to nineteenth centuries. The artform took as its primary subjects courtesans, kabuki actors, and others associated with the ukiyo "floating world" lifestyle of the pleasure districts. Alongside paintings, mass-produced woodblock prints were a major form of the genre. Ukiyo-e art was aimed at the common townspeople at the bottom of the social scale, especially of the administrative capital of Edo. Its audience, themes, aesthetics, and mass-produced nature kept it from consideration as serious art. In the mid-eighteenth century, full-colour nishiki-e prints became common. They were printed by using a large number of woodblocks, one for each colour. Towards the close of the eighteenth century there was a peak in both quality and quantity of the work. Kiyonaga was the pre-eminent portraitist of beauties during the 1780s, and the tall, graceful beauties in his work had a great influence on Utamaro, who was to succeed him in fame. Shunshō of the Katsukawa school introduced the ōkubi-e "large-headed picture" in the 1760s. He and other members of the Katsukawa school, such as Shunkō, popularized the form for yakusha-e actor prints, and popularized the dusting of mica in the backgrounds to produce a glittering effect.

Gericault, "Raft of the Medusa," Oil on Canvas, Restoration time period. Style period-Romanticism

Known today by the title "The Raft of the Medusa" Theodore Gericault's painting was originally displayed at the French Salon of 1819 as Scene de naufrage "Scene of a Shipwreck," 1818-19, oil on canvas, c.16 x 24 feet. Viewers at that time knew it was based on the sensational tragedy of the voyage of the ship French Medusa in 1816. Petra Chu notes that the disaster likened to "France adrift for lack of a competent leader." *Gericault who read the original account of the accident and many newspaper accounts started working on a large painting about the raft of the Medusa in 1818. He made many studies before he chose a moment to represent. Despite his knowledge of the event, Gericault changed several important details in his painting. * The painting was first exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1819. * It was exhibited under the general title of "Scene from A shipwreck." * At the Salon, the painting was originally hung above a door, but the artist was allowed to shift its position when he realized that the vantage point should be at eye level. * Gericault won a gold medal prize for the painting. *Reviews were mixed: paint color's seen as subdued but the dynamism of the composition liked. In terms of subject matter, it was criticized because it was felt to be missing religious or heroic elements. * The painting was not purchased by the government until after Gericault's death. * It was later exhibited in London, for a fee. * Gericault never became a member of the R.A. * "The Raft of Medusa" was not commissioned *The event fascinated him, and before he began work on the final painting, he undertook extensive research and produced many preparatory sketches. He interviewed two of the survivors and constructed a detailed scale model of the raft. He visited hospitals and morgues where he could view, first-hand, the color and texture of the flesh of the dying and dead *Although The Raft of the Medusa retains elements of the traditions of history painting, in both its choice of subject matter and its dramatic presentation, it represents a break from the calm and order of the prevailing Neoclassical school. *The pictorial composition of the painting is constructed upon two pyramidal structures. The perimeter of the large mast on the left of the canvas forms the first. The horizontal grouping of dead and dying figures in the foreground forms the base from which the survivors emerge, surging upward towards the emotional peak, where the central figure waves desperately at a rescue ship. The viewer's attention is first drawn to the center of the canvas, then follows the directional flow of the survivors' bodies, viewed from behind and straining to the right. According to the art historian Justin Wintle, "a single horizontal diagonal rhythm [leads] us from the dead at the bottom left, to the living at the apex."Two other diagonal lines are used to heighten the dramatic tension. One follows the mast and its rigging and leads the viewer's eye towards an approaching wave that threatens to engulf the raft, while the second, composed of reaching figures, leads to the distant silhouette of the Argus, the ship that eventually rescued the survivors. *Géricault's palette is composed of pallid flesh tones, and the murky colors of the survivors' clothes, the sea, and the clouds. Overall the painting is dark and relies largely on the use of somber, mostly brown pigments, a palette that Géricault believed was effective in suggesting tragedy and pain. The work's lighting has been described as "Caravaggesque", after the Italian artist closely associated with tenebrism—the use of violent contrast between light and dark. Even Géricault's treatment of the sea is muted, being rendered in dark greens rather than the deep blues that could have afforded contrast with the tones of the raft and its figures. From the distant area of the rescue ship, a bright light shines, providing illumination to an otherwise dull brown scene *Earlier travels had exposed Géricault to victims of insanity and plague, and while researching the Méduse his effort to be historically accurate and realistic led to an obsession with the stiffness of corpses. To achieve the most authentic rendering of the flesh tones of the dead, he made sketches of bodies in the morgue of the Hospital Beaujon, studied the faces of dying hospital patients, brought severed limbs back to his studio to study their decay, and for a fortnight drew a severed head, borrowed from a lunatic asylum and stored on his studio roof. He worked with Corréard, Savigny and another of the survivors, the carpenter Lavillette, to construct an accurately detailed scale model of the raft, which was reproduced on the finished canvas, even showing the gaps between some of the planks. Géricault posed models, compiled a dossier of documentation, copied relevant paintings by other artists, and went to Le Havre to study the sea and sky. Despite suffering from fever, he traveled to the coast on a number of occasions to witness storms breaking on the shore. *He drew and painted numerous preparatory sketches while deciding which of several alternative moments of the disaster he would depict in the final work. The painting's conception proved slow and difficult for Géricault, and he struggled to select a single pictorially effective moment to best capture the inherent drama of the even. *Gericault Raft studies - note the change in skin color of the man atop the barrel and the reclining man in the foreground, note the scale of the ship on the horizon *The raft on display at the 1819 Salon. *Diagram showing the outline of the two pyramidal structures that form the basis of the work. The position of the Argus is indicated by the yellow dot.

KITAGAWA UTAMARO (1754-1806)

One of the most distinctive Ukiyo-e artists. Produced 5000 prints. Pupil of Toriyama Sekien earliest works 1775 illustrations for popular literature and theatrical publications. Very poor as a child, taken in by a publisher Tsutaya-Juzaburo for room and board in 1783 stayed until 1797 Jusaburo's death. Jusabouro an educated man gathered literary figures and artists. Known for high standards. Invented the double-faced print with the image of a woman forward on one side backward on the other. Utamaro also trained as a block cutter. In the 1780s and 90s also did illustrate books such as Picture Book of Selected Insects 1778 which were referred to as the 'Insect, Shell and Bird books which refer to the literati tradition of the educated elite also Chinese interested. 1793 using mostly yellow backgrounds sprinkled with gold powder which was replaced with mica after gold banned in 1795. Utamaro used the full color palette available to him-although sometimes he reduced the palette. The aesthetic quality of his prints was and is highly regarded. Although he represented very idealized beauties he explored some less than elegant ladies too. He recognized the celebrity of beautiful women and sometimes contextualized their activities. He was not above adding a little scandal to his prints and his publisher was fined for printing an unflattering historic print In terms of the Japanese social class hierarchy, actors and courtesans were not part of any social class at all, despite being the objects of almost obsessive admiration and celebrities who all followed in terms of fashion. See Hinan at end of document for more information. Actors were usually identified in the prints (fan art) but prostitutes were represented as "types" until after the middle of the 18th century. • little attention to individual personality • most ukiyo-e lacks the concern for facial detail of true portraits-little sense of temperament • fashion is recorded more painstakingly than the face • idealized the faces of courtesans and actors because the idealized figure offers easier access to fantasy world for the viewers. • facial differences, when present, might be seen in the noses of the figures.

TSUKIOKA YOSHITOSHI (1839-1892)

Samurai background another pupil of Kuniyoshi. Work affected by European art which he saw in western periodicals and illustrated books. Late 1860s little work. Married as well as a frequenter of prostitutes. 1872, 73 nervous breakdowns. Wife Koto nursed him, then sold herself to a brothel to raise money. 1877 his finances improve and he sends her money but she dies within 3 years. 1880 he refers to her ghost appearing. 1877 moves in with a geisha, marries her but she also leaves him and contracted herself to a brothel. Sells her clothes and possessions to support him. Neighbors critical of this pattern. 1880 has another relationship with a prostitute who named herself the phantom lady. She liked to imitate 15C courtesan known as the lady from hell. Married Taiko in 1884 former Geisha and things go better. Favorite theme history of Japan but his heroes had macabre bents resulting in sometimes bizarre work. One author suggests this was due to a depressive and sadistic side of his designs. Initially, lack of commercial success but by late 70s popular acclaim. Series included: 28 Famous Murders with Verse 1867, One Hundred Views of the Moon 1885; 32 Aspects of Social Customs of Women 1888; Ghosts in New Form 36 between 1889-1892. 19C fascination with horror stories and the depiction of murders and slayings. Romantic Agony. 1867 series 28 Famous murders with verse. Pigment mixed with glue to imitate congealed blood. Women killed by men. By 1866 prints had shown women as aggressors, strong-willed malignant women who appeared in popular literature and pictures of the time. The 1860s also a period of historic crisis. As Yoshitoshi matured fewer scenes of violence. YOSHITOSHI 1886 Story of Sano Jirozaemon Subject: the murder of a courtesan. The story goes that Jirozaemon was a farmer from the village of Sano who went to Edo in the 1720s. He visited the Yoshiwara and became infatuated with a courtesan and wanted to see her. However, the courtesan had another client and put Jirozaemon off. One day he met them together and realized why she had been refusing his advances- as if any courtesan would have only one (farmer), the client. That night he hid by the gate to the Yoshiwara and as the courtesan and her lover were about to part, he leaped out and murdered them. After he ran amok and wounded several other people before he was captured. The story was adapted to the kabuki stage in 1850. • In this diptych print, Jirozaemon is shown with a pocked face, standing behind a large square lantern. The lantern lights up the room behind him. • The moment is when he pursued the courtesan into a building after killing her lover/client. His sword is covered with blood. • She falls as she tries to escape her robe swirling. The red of her undergarment shows and her tissue paper scatters. • She twists in a way that is not anatomically understandable-but certainly very dramatic. • The barrels behind her stored water used to fight fires.

YOSHITOSHI 1883 Fujiwara no Yasumasa Playing the flute by moonlight

Subject: historic legend. Yoshitoshi's teacher Kuniyoshi had used this subject. The story goes that Yasumasa, (958-1036) a celebrated poet and flutist of the Heian court, was strolling along the highway one day playing his instrument. A bandit was waiting, intending to kill him (banditry and disorder being common at this time). But the sound of Yasumasa's flute so enchanted the bandit who was unable to draw his sword. Audiences were interested in the supernatural aspect, "the magic of his music." Danjuro IX staged a kabuki dance pantomime recreating this print. Yoshitoshi was also commissioned to design a tableau for a float based on this theme (Sanno festival) • The flutist is in the center panel of a triptych print. The bandit is to his left (our right) and his leg is in both the right and center panel. The moon is in the left panel. • A lot of open space in the print-adds to its focus and elegance. • Note shading on the clouds, water was added to the ink. These clouds vary from print to print because the technique used was not dependent on a block. • Facial features are westernized rather than generalized in the Japanese way. • Yasumasa's light red/orange kimono is blown to the left in the direction of the wind (plants are blown this direction too) for continuity. Recall Goya's print of a cloak blowing in the wind. See all of the foldings in the garment but not that there is no shading-as the artist was not trying to develop a western sense of volume. • Notice all of the wiggly lines on the skin of the bandit-suggesting tense muscles, but not conforming exactly to anatomy. • The bandit has only one-big sharp sword. Samurai carried two swords.

Harunobu Suzuki

Suzuki Harunobu (Japanese: 鈴木 春信; c. 1725 - 15 July 1770) was a Japanese designer of woodblock print artist in the Ukiyo-e style. He was an innovator, the first to produce full-color prints (Nishiki-e) in 1765, rendering obsolete the former modes of two- and three-color prints. Harunobu used many special techniques, and depicted a wide variety of subjects, from classical poems to contemporary beauties. Like many artists of his day, Harunobu also produced a number of shunga, or erotic images. During his lifetime and shortly afterwards, many artists imitated his style. A few, such as Harushige, even boasted of their ability to forge the work of the great master. Much about Harunobu's life is unknown. Though some scholars assert that Harunobu was originally from Kyoto, pointing to possible influences from Nishikawa Sukenobu, much of his work, in particular, his early work, is in the Edo style. His work shows evidence of influences from many artists, including Torii Kiyomitsu, Ishikawa Toyonobu, the Kawamata school, and the Kanō school. However, the strongest influence upon Harunobu was the painter and printmaker Nishikawa Sukenobu, who may have been Harunobu's direct teacher.

Tokugawa Leaysu

The city founder Tokugawa Ieaysu was rewarded with a marshy stretch of land after military successes. He was appointed Shogun by the emperor when he defeated the supporters of the heir of the previous military warlord. Although the title was military he essentially ruled Japan reducing the power of the hereditary emperor, who lived in Kyoto, to ceremonial functions. Ieaysu and his heirs ruled Japan from 1603-1867. Ieaysu built his capital in Edo, reclaiming the marshy land. This period was graced by relative peace as a result of Ieaysu's clever authoritarian strategies, giving culture and economy time to develop. Prosperity is part of the context for the development of woodblock prints that were economically obtainable not only by the aristocracy but also by other classes. It is of value to the interpretation of the prints to understand the Japanese social classes. Although one's class designation was "unchangeable," wealth blurred these boundaries, especially in the 19th century.

Louis XVIII (18)

Bourbon monarch restored to French throne by Quadruple Alliance (1814) * became king of France in 1815 * was placed in this position not by the popular consent of the French people but by the allies who defeated France during the war

Samurai

Class of warriors in feudal Japan who pledged loyalty to a noble in return for land. Military personnel that took over bureaucratic tasks during peaceful times.

Daumier, Heroes of July, May 1831, Lithograph

Compare with Delacroix's Liberty Leading the People. • One of the participants of the July Revolution, who did not benefit from the government of the King of the French, is about to Jump into the Seine River. • Behind him to the right is a government building with the French Tricolor flag on display.

Merchants-lowest but wealthiest class

Considered unproductive but were economically powerful. Ran and owned businesses. Economic and political power were not the same during the Edo period.

Degas, Dancer with Bouquet, 26 x 14 in. 1876-77

Essence (of oil paint) and Pastel on paper. Essence was a technique of soaking oil out of oil paint and then diluting it with turpentine and applying the pigment to a matte surface. Evidently, Degas was very experimental with art materials and he used technicians to help him with various processes. (For further information see the nice pdf document offered by the Metropolitan Art Museum on his processes http://www.jstor.org/stable/1512619 .) Also in study set is a second ballet scene and an Equestrian Painting. Come to class for notes. • Exhibited in the Impressionist exhibition of 1880 • "bird's eye" vantage point (from above) as if the viewer were sitting in a box seat close to the stage. • The ballerina who has finished her performance holds a bouquet from an admirer • Her figure is asymmetrical to the left of the vertical picture plane and her tutu is cropped out. • In the second ballet painting from your study notes the figures are asymmetrically placed to the right at with a strong diagonal angle. Many figures are noticeably cropped. • Degas was interested in photography and Japanese prints. Artists in both media often used compositions that were not framed to the traditional academic structures. He was also interested in photography. • If you are interested in modern composition, look at Degas' prints. He is a very good teacher. • No overt narrative, seen as a general subject, not a historical subject.

Francois Rabelais

Former monk. French humanist wrote the comic masterpieces Gargantua and Pantagruel, stories contained gross humor. a 16th-century Benedictine monk and humanist scholar (Renaissance) wrote comic novels and Gargantua and Pantagruel were his favorite characters. Gargantua and Pantagruel were rude but funny giants, they traveled in a world characterized by greed, stupidity, violence, and grotesque jokes. Rabelais used his characters to attack clerical education and monastic orders (think Goya and Los Caprichos). Like other Renaissance humanists, Rabelais criticized medieval philosophy for its concern with obscure, confused, and irrelevant questions. He mocked asceticism and oppressive religious and political forces. He expressed an appreciation for secular learning and confidence in human nature. He attacked monasticism as denying life and regarded worldly pleasure as a legitimate need and aim of human nature. Rabelais emphasized the physical joys of life: food, drink, sex, and bodily functions connected to them. He wrote in Gargantua; "Drink always and you shall never die." The behavior his characters exhibited was inflated and extreme, in order to be funny. But it should not be surprising that the church didn't care for the joke, Rabelais' books were banned by the Catholic Church and later placed on the Index Librorum prohibitorumon (Index of Forbidden Books). Rabelais developed a philosophy of excess where he advocated a life strategy which essentially had no behavior boundaries at all i.e. "do what you will." Daumier used this simplistic statement as a metaphor for the corruption and excesses of the July Monarchy government. Consider the mocking strategies used by today's TV news comedians on programs such as Saturday Night Live. • Sounds to me like Rabelais, Daumier, and Goya would have gotten along very well. • In the print, the king devours baskets full of gold, brought up to his mouth by an army of carriers. • He digests this input and then immediately "expels" or "evacuates" a mound of paper documents "letters of nomination and appointment to special government positions and court honors." He portrays government activities as "crap." • In this print the king is seated on a chair with a hole in the seat, making it like a toilet. • But Gargantua/Louis-Philippe's seat is not identical to a 19th-century commode, which points us towards the conclusion that Daumier felt that Louis-Philippe had turned the throne itself into a toilet. • "Daumier criticized the government that levied taxes not to improve the lives of common people, but to fatten up the government." And yes, this is despite the fact that taxes were reviewed by the parliament. • Since the reign of Louis XIV in the 17th and 18th century, the body of the king has seen a metaphor for the government: "The state is I" summed up Louis XIV's absolute monarchy. Combined with Gargantua's saying "do what you will" the government rewarded those who could afford to feed its appetites, but in the monarchy ignored its responsibility to control the body/state. • In reaction to this print, the newspaper was raided for 3 consecutive days in order to stop sales. Daumier was brought to trial and given a sentence that was postponed. He might never have served were it not for another print called the "Washermen.

EUGENE DELACROIX (1798-1863)

French Romantic painter Liberty Leading the People The Death of Sardanapalus The Massacre of Chios Women of Algiers Frederic Chopin His family was Bonaparte loyalists, who had not gotten along with the restored monarchy. Most of the artist's work with the exception of a few problematic paintings did well under the period of the restored Bourbons. During the July Monarchy, he backed off political subjects such as the next artwork. When a student he studied at the Royal Academy School but he did not apply for membership until 1837. Between 1837 and 1856 after applying 7 times he was finally admitted (1857).

CLAUDE MONET (1840-1926)

French painter. The leader of Impressionism. Applied strong colors in quick, short strokes to create renditions of air and light as none had before him. Born in Paris, Grew up at Le Havre. Served one-year military service in Algeria 1861-2, released due to illness. Most of the soon to be Impressionist artists started with similar academic training that other artists received. The Academy school no longer had the "shine" it once did so Monet studied in Paris at the studio/atelier of Charles Gleyre until 1864. Sometimes the Impressionists were able to join free studios like the Academie Suisse where there was no tuition and they could work together. • In 1865 Monet displayed two seascapes at the annual salon that were arranged on either side of Manet's Olympia because of a name mix up. After the Salon exhibitions stopped being held in the Louvre, the displays were often arranged A-Z by the last name of the artist, although sometimes the genres seemed to be split up first). • Monet's 1865 seascapes were praised, but Manet was outraged, saying that Monet had copied his art and name. • One of these seascapes is now owned by the Norton Simon Museum. • Monet left Paris for an area outside of the city where he stated he would paint a picture of modern life that would "out Manet, Manet." He planned to paint a genuine "luncheon on the grass" rather than a misnamed bath. He was determined to work in plain air (=literally in the open air and means out-of-doors). • Monet ordered a new blank canvas 15 feet high by 20 feet wide-3 times larger than Manet's Luncheon on the Grass. http://www.thepunctuationguide.com/em-dash.html • Only sketches remain of painting since it was never completed. Monet employed techniques that became typical of his 'Impressionistic' art. * In a publication in the year 1800 French landscape painter Pierre-Henri de Valenciennes suggested that artists prepare studies out-of-doors (he had been doing his sketches and teaching his students out-of-doors since the late 1700s). Constable and Corot made small oil on canvas or paper studies in plein-air (=out-of-doors) before the mid-eighteenth century. Painting out of doors with PAINT TUBES The old way of storing paint in pigs' bladders tied up with string. When the artist wanted to use a color, pierced the skin with a tack, squeezed the paint through the whole and then had to mend the hole with a special puncture repair kit. As a result, few colors placed on a painters palette at one time because they would dry out before the artist could mend the hole in the pig bladder. The bladders often burst, which was messy. The development of portable equipment and materials encouraged plein-air painting. Commercial companies sold light-weight sketching easels and out-of-doors painting boxes. John Goffe Rand an American portrait painter invented the collapsible tube, made of tin and sealed with pliers. Patented in 1841. Portable tin paint tubes were available in France by 1850 although tube colors were more expensive.

EISEN, "Named Courtesan" Hanogi of the Ogiya, 1830-40.

Frequent fires devastated cities built of wood. When the licensed brothel district was destroyed (more than once), each time the district was moved further outside of town to give more area to businesses and residences. By the late 18th century competing "entertainment" areas took advantage of the distance issue by establishing themselves in the city. The traditional Yoshiwara courtesans came to be seen as overly formal, caught in the manners of the masquerade rather than...fun. • An unexpected outcome, was that the in-town unlicensed brothels became competitive with the Yoshiwara. They were more casual and less bound by the rules of etiquette. • The competition between the prostitution districts seemed to push sex workers in the licensed areas to even more elaborate and formalized attire. Sometimes the styles are described as "baroque" from the western tradition. • In Eisen's print the darkly dressed Yoshiwara courtesan, is the only figure in the panel, however to her right is a box, with fabric. She faces the left. • She seems bent over under the weight of her kimono and hair bars-perhaps a metaphor for the weight of manners. The dragon on her outer kimono seems ready to fight with the tiger on the skirt. Beneath the outer kimono would be more garment layers. • The hairstyle itself seems similar to Utamaro's women from the "Courtesan's Clock," however the wooden hair bars are thicker and seem to weigh her down.

HAURNOBU, Lovers with Mandarin Ducks in the snow-surimono

HAURNOBU, Lovers with Mandarin Ducks in the snow-surimono • Young man and woman on the left side of the vertical picture frame share an umbrella as they stand together in the falling snow gazing at a pond and ducks. • Poetry is included in the upper cloud border that reads: "Since ours is the enviable love of mandarin ducks, pledged with crossed wings, we should not be sad." • The romance is indicated not only by their proximity but also because they share an umbrella and ducks are known to mate for life. • They are not married. The woman's eyebrows are not plucked and she has the long kimono sleeves of an unmarried woman-and note that her obi sash/belt is tied in the back. • Multiple colors are printed. • The hoods are double even triple inked to make them deep black like lacquer (sometimes mica dust was applied).

UTAMARO, "Hanaogi of the Ogiya" woodblock print, 1793-94

Hanaogi or "Flower fan" was a woman given this name by the brothel, the Ogiya house, that she was indentured to. She was the highest level of prostitute. In the square and rectangular boxes is her title and a poem comparing her beauty with the moonflower- appropriate since prostitutes worked at night. • Single figure • upper body and head (sort of a big head print) • her shoulders are back • identified by the title-her brothel name and affiliation • a fashion and sex celebrity of her time • The color palette of her garment is simple, with elegant combinations of fabrics. Considered the classic period of Japanese prints.

KATSUSHIKA HOKUSAI (1760-1849)

Japanese Artist - Thirty six view of Mt. Fuji - most famous Japanese mountain made more than 30,000 designs in his lifetime, probably the illegitimate child of a courtesan and an artisan was adopted by an artisan family. From the age of 15 to 18 apprenticed to a woodblock engraver, prior to this he had been a clerk in a bookstore. Student at 18 of Katsukawa Shunsho. Early works included paintings and print and illustrated book designs of actors, historic landscapes in the perspective print method, courtesans and erotica. Also did private surimono prints limited editions for special occasions etc. Left the school of his master at his death rather than remaining which was more the tradition of the time. It is known that Hokusai studied western prints although these were rare. He participated in public painting with assistants when he painted large murals publically. This strategy may have been devised by publishers to increase his sales. He was an obsessive sketcher and these sketches were published as illustrated books that he used during the drawing lessons he taught for wealthy clients. Scholarship suggests that his early landscape prints were not the result of direct observation, rather he used tourist guidebooks as models. Between 1801-1820 he designed 9 sets of landscape prints (one example is shown in class). He did not want to be ruled by the reality of the landscape (since in some cases his drawings were second hand based on illustrated guidebooks). His interpretive landscapes included genre elements in the foreground and the specific landscape is in the background. Sometimes his figures interact with the landscapes like they are home or are used to the sites. In other cases, the humans look eagerly at places that are new to them. His best-known works were a set of prints made between 1829-33 or 1923-31. Series Thirty-six views of Mt. Fuji. Although forty-six prints were finished and distributed. The publisher and artist willing to go to 100 but demand diminished. Edo publisher Nishimura Eijudo announced the publication of the 36 Views of Mount Fuji in 1831. This publisher's family was involved in the Fuji worship. The supplementary set is sometimes called the Ura Fuji (Fuji from the other side which is done in the black key block). Hokusai was 70 when this series was published. • Mt. Fuji (volcano) is the tallest mountain in Japan, (12,388 feet) and symbolically mountains were connectors between heaven and earth. Buddhist holy men ascended the mountain starting in the 7th century. A new Edo period religion instructed believers to climb the mountain and by the 19th-century commoners started making pilgrimages. By 1779, believers began to construct miniature replica Fuji mounds. Ascending the mountain suggested an intimacy with the divine. Last eruption of Mt. Fuji in 1707. • Hokusai's Fuji prints are not only a manifestation of the landscape but also show the mountain in a societal context. The mountain is viewed as a site of everyday experience as well as a place of sublime experience. • He marketed the specific vista points of the mountain in this series. The advertisement states: These pictures show the shape of Fuji as it differs depending on the place. It is not always drawn the same-ow the shape as seen from the beach at Shichiri-ga-Hama; or the view as seen from Tsukuda Island-and will be of assistance to those learning [to paint] landscapes. If carved progressively in this manner they should even exceed one hundred. They are not limited to thirty-six. • First 5 of the set of Fuji prints were Ai-e prints or blueprints) done almost entirely in shades of blue also known as aizuri- (blue printed pictures). Distinctively the key blocks are done in blue rather than black, although the later editions of the whole set are done with a black key block. • Prussian blue- or boring or Berlin Blue a synthetic pigment imported from 1829. First seen in surimono. The audience liked this new blue because of Japanese love of new things especially imported things. • Blueprints of familiar sites were considered exotic since the pigment was imported. • Blue vegetable dyes were especially fugitive. New synthetic blues held up better. • Monochrome ink landscape paintings were given high cultural standing. The monochromatically blue woodblock prints in the series may have been tapping into this tradition. • Blue prior to Prussian blue was derived from the day flower or indigo plant leaves. Japanese inks were water-based, rather than oil-based European printing inks. Some mineral pigments were also used, such as the mica powder spread on the backgrounds of some luxury prints. • Torii Kiyonaga (Viewing Cherry Blossoms print above) used this pigment but most of his blues have faded to a blue-grey and when mixed with yellow a grey-green.

The Floating World, Ukiyo

The major theme for almost 200 years of Japanese prints was the Floating World or Ukiyo. This term to mean was described by the author Asai Ryoi in his work Ukiyo Monogatari or Tales of the Floating World. He described the experience of life in this place [floating world] as: "Living only for the moment, savoring the moon, the snow, the cherry blossoms, and the maple leaves; singing songs, drinking sake, and diverting oneself in floating; unconcerned by the prospect of imminent poverty, buoyant and carefree, like a floating gourd carried along with the river current: this is what we call the floating world." Even though the merchants were the lowest class of the 4 listed classes, they were increasingly successful and wealthy. Due to the rigid class system, all they could rule were their economic empires, that might go bankrupt at any time as a result of overspending on luxuries or commonly they suffered when the daimyo or samurai did not repay loans (such loans were almost impossible to refuse). The merchants were aware of the limitations and precarious nature of their way of life. Their investments and savings might disappear because of the system. As a result, some of them adopted a masquerade culture and spent lots of money on amusements without deep purpose or permanence, essentially forms of escape.

SUZUKI HARUNOBU c.1725-70

The son of a fireman. Credited with the development of the brocade or in Japanese the Nishiki-e print. Made at least 200 print designs in the last 6 years of his life making total oeuvre about 1000.

Delacroix Liberty Leading the People 1830, OC, 8.5 x approx.11 feet.

This painting commemorates the revolution that installed the government of the July Monarchy. It was completed during the year following the July Revolution and exhibited at the Salon of 1831. • Multiple figures: 1 woman and multiple men and boys. • Some figures stepping toward the viewer. Stepping over the dead towards the viewer's space. Dead soldiers in foreground similar to the dead in the foreground of the "Raft of the Medusa," Goya's "3rd of May 1808," and Gros' "Pest House of Jaffe." • A pyramidal composition similar to "The Raft" with the woman and flag at the apex of the pyramid. • The use of colors throughout the painting is typical of the way the academy taught students to use color. Red is used on the tricolor flag and several accents throughout the painting. There are blue accents throughout the painting-on the tricolor flag, the kneeling boy's jacket, and elsewhere. Blue is used in the upper right and left portions of the canvas to indicate the sky. In the rest of the painting light, yellow and neutral beige tones are used. The figure of the woman painted in front of a cloud of smoke-although the smoke is tinted respectively with complementary colors behind the bright tones of the flag. • In some areas, Delacroix used a complementary scheme with his colors. Specifically, where the smoke is tinted with the complementary colors behind the panels of the tricolor flag to make the flag stand out. • Non-aristocratic contemporary men and boys participate in the battle, some wearing torn clothing. Possible that one man in the background with bicorn hat may be either from the nobility or bourgeoisie but he is not in the first line of figures. It would be a misstatement to say that this battle is that of the bourgeoisie-although this conclusion is commonly seen in non-scholarly sources. See key issues below. • Barricades-a barricade is a defense structure, in this case, a blockade across a narrow street or bridge intended to halt or disrupt the passage of mounted soldiers. They also provide defensive shelter for those behind them. • "Hodge-podge" of weapons indicate that the weapons of the rebels were not military grade. • Please allow me to disabuse you of misinformation you may have learned in some other class. All significant Delacroix scholars agree that Delacroix is not in the painting. You cannot believe everything you read on the Internet. • Notre Dame cathedral in the distance. • An allegorical figure wearing a Phrygian cap is in the center. She is partially nude. Consider the problem of representing an abstract idea visually. Key Issues: • The social class of those who are represented. The bourgeois class benefited most from the government of the king who was named as a result of this revolution. The so-called merchant bourgeoisie would have been hurt by the July ordinances had they taken effect. However, it is a historical fact that the bourgeoisie hardly participated in the actual revolution. Throughout history there are "doers" and there are the "tell you to doers." In this painting, Delacroix made an accurate rendering of the male participants, who for the most part included students, skilled, and unskilled workers. Quite a few of the fighters were former Napoleonic soldiers who had not done well under the Restoration government. Most women involved in the revolution, except for a handful that "may" have fought, provided medical care and other support for the fighters. (Demographic information about the dead was recorded in public records). The fighting started out in the area where the printing companies were - its workers were directly affected by Charles X's censorship ordinances. • Albert Boime "The actual fighters in 1830 were neither the desperately poor and dispossessed nor the substantial middle class of business, the professions and public office. The overwhelming majority of the wounded and dead comprised artisans and skilled workers; joiners, carpenters, cabinetmakers, stonemasons, shoemakers, locksmiths, printers, tailors and jewelers. A handful of doctors, lawyers, teachers, army officers, and artists were among the wounded but no bankers, publishers, journalists, and deputies. Of the dead and wounded, over half had served in Napoleon's armies. Thus, it could hardly have been claimed that the rebels were recruited from the scum of Paris or from the cream of the middle and upper classes." ( Boime, Art in an age of counterrevolution, 1815-1848, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2004.) • There are other paintings made of the July Revolution with more bourgeoisie types shown. But, this still does not make it true that they participated in the revolution it just makes it clear that the paintings portrayed a rewriting history to the advantage of the July Monarchy government and its bourgeois supporters). Note the Vernet painting from 2 years later, where there are additional figures wearing bourgeois top hats made of silk. However, Vernet's painting does not display a moment where the people were engaged in battle. • Twenty percent of university students from the École Polytechnic participated in the revolution. Their dress uniforms included a bicorne hat. The EP university was founded by the Directory government in 1794 (Revolution 1), training gifted students of the 3rd estate. Uniformed students with bicorne hats portrayed in paintings may imply to the unwary that the upper classes were present, but not if you understand that these students were not upper class. Criticism of painting from the 1830s. • Realism - vulgar clothing (torn), hairy underarms, dirt, and soot. Is it typical that an allegorical character would have hairy underarms? • Partial nudity (Nudity is hardly new in art. Why didn't they like this particular nude?) • The political depiction is seen as too literal - once again heroes ordinary rather than idealized figures of the classical past. Conclusion: • The allegorical character is made to look like a real woman, with arm hair and dirt thus expressing the beginnings of a new art style later called "Realism," which some critics found offending. • In the tradition of beauty representing the truth, a dirty allegory could not represent liberty. • A woman seems to be shown as a participant in the revolution but is she really a woman or an allegory? • Fundamental contrasts - dead with the living; female allegory with real men from different classes. • Captured energy and excitement of the 3 Day Revolution - hope for the future constitutional monarchy, that this time might offer more freedom for all of the people. EXHIBITION AND OWNERSHIP HISTORY (CALLED THE PROVENANCE OF THE PAINTING) 1831 Exhibited Academy Salon 1831 Government Ministry of Interior bought it cheaply 1832 Exhibited at the Musee de Luxembourg (where contemporary State purchased art was shown). 1832 Government awards artist Legion of Honor medal to Delacroix 1833 painting withdrawn from Luxembourg and returned to the painter - If this painting was such a symbol of this revolution, why would the government stop exhibiting it? Make the connection back to the issue of social class. Note 1833 is the same year that fig. 10.5 by Vernet was exhibited. Which social classes are represented in this painting? 1848 Louvre claims Liberty back after next revolution 1852 once again the painting considered too subversive and placed into museum reserves - proving a second time that something in the painting made them uncomfortable. What was it? 1855 brought out for universal exhibition (see chapter 14), Delacroix paints the cap a different color. 1863 artist dies 1874 Liberty put on display in Louvre. 2013 Liberty leading the people damaged while on display at a Louvre annex.

1847 Jean-Léon Gérôme, The Cock Fight OC, 4'8" x 6'9"

(today in the Musée d'Orsay). Gérôme studied in the Paris and later Italy with a history painter Paul Delaroche. He attended the School of Fine Arts (the renamed Royal Academy School) and applied but did not win the Prix de Rome. He intended to develop his skills in The Cock Fight and it was accepted into the 1847 Salon. He joined the Institute of France (also called the Academy of Fine Arts) after 5 attempts. He is well known for his meticulous paintings of the near east or "Orient" as it was then called. • A nude male and female figure. The young male kneels in the foreground with a pair of fighting roosters. The woman slightly behind leans against a short wall. Behind the plants is a scenic ocean background. • No togas on the figures at all! A strategy to show nude women and men! • These nudes were supposed to be characters from Ancient Greece (classicism was used to justify their nudity). The ancient Greek part seemed to almost tilt the academic classification of history. (Gérôme made a second provocative nude painting called Greek Interior also in the Musée d'Orsay, Paris today.) • Seriously idealized. • Style period in the "Davidian" tradition would be called Neo-Classical. Since David's established style was now called "Academic." It was the conservative style of Academy training. • Ordinary subject rather than a significant historical narrative. Kind of like a picnic with pets. Historic Genre was a long-needed nuancing of the Academic Classification and this term became a popular descriptor during the Second Empire. • A "window on daily life"? In what country in any time period did young men and women sit around in the nude a play with fighting...fowl. • Generally, you should think of this painting as "private art." Yet it did show publicly at the Salon, and although it was someone anatomically detailed the figures were also idealized, which makes them look less individualized and particularized. The painting was purchased by an individual and would be displayed privately in a home. Interestingly it was acquired by the French State in 1873 and entered the Louvre Collection in 1874.

Art training in Japan and print production

* Artists from artisan class were trained by master artists who had close relationships with their students. When artists achieved master status, they would go out on their own and most often work in the style of their teacher. Some artists were allowed to change their names to match an artistic school. * Most artists worked in multi-media, including prints. The artists didn't produce the final prints, they designed them by drawing the subject and then selecting the colors that would be used in the print * Often print designs were produced at the publisher 's request, although sometimes artists proactively introduced designs to publishers-since they were doing this work to make a living. Most artists painted in addition to their print designs and sometimes their painting themes mirrored their print subjects. Some artists taught art not only other artists but to the daimyo, samurai, or chonin to supplement their income. * Publishers did not just cater to the tastes of the mass market, although this was certainly a tried and true market. There was an attempt to appeal to the tastes of the merchant classes who were more and more educated over time. Novelty was something that caught the attention of collectors. * When the design was approved by the publisher it was transferred to blocks by craftsmen, carved by woodcutters, and then printed by a printer. Artists usually consulted on the colors of the print with the printer. Although European printing presses were introduced to Japan in the 17th century, because of the cost of labor and the desire for multi-colored prints hand printing dominated until the 20th century. * At certain points during the Edo period publishers were required to have the prints approved by censors. Censorship was also an issue in 19th Century French prints. * Prints were typically sold in shops/ or sales stalls run by publishers. There were a number of such shops near the Nihonbashi (bridge)-which was on a major road into the city. However, research suggests that prints with kabuki themes were also available in the theater district. Edo and Osaka were printing centers and outside of these areas, the latest prints would be less available. Traveling peddlers were also a part of the distribution network. * These woodblock prints were designed in order to produce multiple images from the block matrix. Multiples kept prices affordable. * Artists did not get royalties from sales. There was no copyright on print designs- in fact, today the Japanese government licenses contemporary printers to make woodblocks that are copies of the 18th & 19th-century prints and sell them. This may result in confusion for novice collectors. Buyer beware. * Collectors might keep prints in boxes; pasted into albums, or even pasted onto sliding paper door panels or folding screens. For most people these prints were enjoyed, they were touched, shown to friends and were the topic of many lively discussions. When damaged they were replaced. * It is commonly reported that a popular print would sell for the price of a bowl of noodles. After the more luxurious color prints, which were more labor intensive, this was not true. However, they were still relatively low-priced. $12-15 dollars (today's scale). I looked up one of my favorite prints online to see if it was for sale. I found it for $3,500. Time has increased the value of these objects since many of the originals have been lost or damaged.

Story of the Shipwreck of the Medusa

*In 1816 the destination of the ship Medusa was the colony in Senegal that was being set up to facilitate the export of slaves *The tragedy of the raft of the Medusa, the reaction of the French government, and Correard's later campaign, were connected at least in part to policies of the French government, specifically their support of the slave trade. The Story of Shipwreck The Medusa was one of a convoy of 4 ships that departed for Africa in 1816. The captain of the Medusa was Hughes du Chaumareys. He was a minor noble who had left France during the French Revolution then returned during the Napoleonic era and worked as a customs inspector. This work did not qualify him to be the captain of a ship nevertheless he was named to his post because of his nobility (The Medusa carried crew and passengers numbering 450). The captain was ordered by the government to navigate widely around the dangerous Arguin shoals and stay together with his convoy for safety. However, the inexperienced captain was swayed by the opinions of passengers (one a charity worker the other the governor destined to take over Senegal) instead chose a dangerous course, close to land. As a result, the Medusa was grounded on marine shoals 30 miles off the coast of Africa because of errors in navigation and judgment. The crew of the Medusa tried to loosen the ship from the shoal by lightening the load but the captain refused to allow them to remove the heaviest items: 14 canons, ordinance, and gold bullion. After 3 days the captain incorrectly concluded that he and the ship were endangered and ordered the Medusa be abandoned. Unfortunately, there were not enough lifeboats to off-load everyone. Rather than ferry all parties to shore in the lifeboats the captain loaded the distinguished persons onto the 6 lifeboats and a raft was constructed and 147 were placed on it. Many of those on the raft were soldiers from various backgrounds: some were former slaves from the colonies, other soldiers were recruited from prisons. There were settlers heading to Africa for financial gain and geographic surveyors. Few sailors were on the raft-most of them were on the boats or remained on the ship. The raft (c.67 x 24 feet) had neither rudder nor paddles. They set off on July 5th with little food and no navigation equipment-even though du Chaumareys lied and said they had it and he would captain the raft-then he turned around and got in a lifeboat in good condition. The plan/scheme was to have the lifeboats tow the raft but it soon became clear that the large heavy raft was unwieldy in rough seas so the lifeboats cut the cables and sailed off to save themselves. Many on the raft believed that the captain would send help when he reached safety. But the raft was adrift and would never reach shore. For the first days, most of the raft's surface was submerged-passengers were up to their waists in water. Without rudder or paddles, they took one of the draft boards and sailcloth a sailor had thrown to them and constructed a mast to tie the sail to. By the second-day provisions were running out. Weakened and delusional individuals jumped off. On the second night (July 6) the wind and seas rose. Loose ropes were used to tie individuals to the raft. Factions formed among the survivors. A large group, mostly the soldiers, in despair, drank the remaining wine, mutinied against the officers (who had placed themselves in the more stable center of the boat). The first mutineers were suicidal and 65 died fighting the officers. They fought with their military weapons, swords, and knives. The 3rd night (July 7) the mutineers resumed conflict in two attacks. The officers and their supporters tried to prevent them from cutting the ropes holding the raft together. High seas carried-off even more: fewer than half were alive by the 4th morning (July 8th). Many dead were still on the raft and some survivors started to eat human flesh. The seas calmed but most of the water and wine were gone. With so few remaining they were only up to their knees in water. Flying fish flip onto the raft and they manage to catch and cook some-mixing this with human flesh. The factions shift and regroup-still thinking they were close to shore. By the 5th morning, 30 survive, most were badly injured and in agony, as salt water irritated their wounds. The water soaked skin was stripped off their legs and they were terribly sunburnt. The survivors tried to calculate how long their remaining wine would last for their numbers. Twelve, semi-conscious, delusional survivors including one woman with a broken hip were executed to conserve the remaining wine. They threw all but one saber overboard. They took some boards from the ends of the raft to construct a platform to raise themselves above the waterline. Those left behind drank urine and seawater after their provisions ran out. The governor and captain's boats were rescued and taken to St. Louis. They arrived on the 4th night July 8th. On July 9th the governor ordered the French ship, Argus-a sister ship from the convoy, to look for lifeboat survivors, but not the Medusa raft or the remaining crew on the Medusa. The governor and captain assumed that they had perished. The British governor decided to delay the government transition. He has a standing agreement with local inhabitants to assist any shipwrecked individuals-and once they found them they did so. The other lifeboats landed north of the port and suffered difficulties as they tried to make, it mostly by foot, to the port of St. Louis (heat and dehydration until they are assisted by local residents). The Argus spotted the survivors and sent some supplies, although they could not land because of rough coastline conditions. Most of the lifeboat passengers survived, some were soldiers-ex. slaves recruited from the French colonies. The party with the Picard family (a daughter wrote a book) arrived on July 14th. The survivors of the other 4 lifeboats arrived in St. Louis and were hosted and treated with kindness by local English families, however, they were in dire straights since most had lost everything they owned (in contrast to the governor & captain who took their luggage on their lifeboat). July 17th, after 13 days on the raft (17 days after the grounding) the rescue ship Argus found the raft and its survivors. The masts of a ship were spotted by people on the raft, but then the ship slipped away from view. The survivors were in despair, they made a tent of one of the sails to escape the sun. They recorded the last statement of how they died to be attached to the mast. but the ship came back their way hours later and this time spotted the raft. The thin bearded men were almost naked. Their faces and bodies disfigured by the sun, legs, and feet covered with sores. Fifteen survivors from the raft were rescued-of these only 10 survive to return to France. Among those who greeted the survivors in St. Louis were those who had abandoned them. About 155 known dead. Lifeboat survivors had lost everything, after being taken in most we left by the French without support. The British help them out, but eventually, they are left under the French governor when the transition is made. Those rescued from the raft did not fare well in the hospital. Raft survivors were given rations that were not intended for their recovery. The governor and captain visited them, feigning compassion and offering money, new clothes, and wine. The sick men asked for better food but were denied. The new governor became concerned about his liability. After all, they all had a secret-they had cut the tow lines to the raft and had not sent out a rescue ship. The governor tried to get them to sign a statement absolving him. A letter came to light in Paris from the governor's daughter. She recorded that she was appalled by how those on the raft survived. Eventually, a British major from the garrison, not the administration gave survivors help. Fifty-three days after the wreck, the Argus was sent out again to recover the gold in the Medusa wreck. In the meantime, 12 of the 17 remaining on the ship, built a second raft and set out for shore, they were never heard of again. When the Argus arrived 3 more survivors were rescued. This was very serious because this proved that the captain broke maritime law that stated that the captain must be the last person to leave a sinking ship. The Medusa ship remained stuck on that reef and was salvaged over a year later. Some survivors returned to France and the story became publically known. Reports sent to France from the captain, governor, officers, and crewmen differed. For example, the captain and governor claimed the ropes of the raft broke rather than being thrown off. Raft survivor Henry Savigny (ship's surgeon) wrote his own report and part of it became public. The location and details of the grounding differed. The role of the captain in all was questioned. Oblivious to his crime the captain returned to France in 1817, where he was immediately detained and put on trial. Again the restoration government upheld the privilege of the nobility and did not recommend the death penalty. The captain was convicted of "conduct unbecoming an officer," he lost his titles and was sent to prison for 3 years. The government tried to keep the verdict quiet. Alexander Correard (Medusa's geographer) returned to France to support the story of Savigny. He wanted reparations and revenge. The pubic embarrassed by the government's position launched a public subscription to make financial amends to the survivors. Rather than adequately punishing the guilty, the French government imprisoned Correard for 20 months for promoting banned books. Savigny retired but Correard fought on as a committed abolitionist.

Daumier, Gargantua, Lithograph

15 December 1831, La Caricature at top and bottom of the first edition. The 2nd state eliminated the words. • In the left half of the panel, a large figure is seated with a vertical plank leaning against its torso. There are other figures below to the right and left. On the horizon line to the right is the silhouette of a city. To the left of the large figure is an "institutional" type building with columns. A text banner displays the title. • This title Gargantua refers to a gigantic pear headed figure recognized because of previous caricatures as Louis Philippe.

.FREDERIC AUGUSTE BARTHOLDI Liberty Enlightening the World , copper and steel

1875-84, H. 151 feet. Architect Viollet le Duc served as technical consultant and after his death engineer Gustave Eiffel completed the project. • Conceived to commemorate the 100-year relationship between France and the United States (remember France offered some support to the American revolutionaries fighting the British for independence). • Funds were raised in France and in the United States to pay for the Liberty sculpture. • The US purchased Bedloe's Island and set up the base. The sculpture on the island was to be seen from a distance and because of a simple form (neoclassical) make a dramatic silhouette. • It was executed in Paris, dismantled and shipped to the US. • It is the allegorical figure of a woman. • Even though made by the French and a representation of Liberty she has no Phrygian bonnet. One source I read it was stated that the US government was nervous about the historic association between the Phrygian bonnet and slavery and because of its recent civil war, they did not want the bonnet. Bartholdi came up with sun-rays supposedly from the legendary sculpture of the Colossus of Rhodes, as well as a statue he had seen with a similar rayed bonnet. A recent biography claimed that he had not used the bonnet because it looked odd. Unfortunately, this biography does not include a footnote so that this information can be checked out. Although the Phrygian bonnet is seen in a few 18th century American revolutionary images it was not widely adopted. I am still on the hunt for the definitive answer. • Liberty's torch suggests a shining beacon of freedom and faces across the Atlantic to Europe. • 1776 date of the "Declaration of Independence" is inscribed on the tablet in Roman numerals.

WILLIAM BOUGUEREAU (1825-1905) Young Girl defending herself against Eros/Cupid, OC

1880 approximately 5 ft by 4 ft. After regional training, the young artist took courses at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris and won the Prix de Rome. He started exhibiting at the Salon when Courbet and Millet were showing Realist style paintings. A Salon darling this academic artist represents both the technical refinement and the absurdity of the classical subject by the end of the century. He was fondly labeled a pompier. The art of the pompier (L'art pompier) translates as Fireman art. French firemen wore protective helmets that had horse-hair tail decorations (recall the helmet of Hector-although not as elaborate). The use of the term was intended to suggest the Greek style, that had become so common that it was worn by firemen. • The nude woman in this painting holds-off a grabby cupid with a sharp arrow pointed at her heart. • The expression on her face does not represent distress, rather despite her extended... really extended arms, there is a relaxed rather than a tense atmosphere. • The painting's careful finishing is seen in the figures with softly applied chiaroscuro to make them seem dimensional. Illusionistic fabric and a lovely selection of weeds in the left foreground are also carefully blended. • The figures are clothed or masked by their idealism, although cupid seems ready to get onto the young girl's lap suggesting a "mild" eroticism.

Courtesans (prostitutes)

A courtesan was originally a courtier, which means a person who attends the court of a monarch or other powerful person. In feudal society, the court was the center of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together. Prior to the Renaissance, courtesans served to convey information to visiting dignitaries, when servants could not be trusted. In Renaissance Europe, courtiers played an extremely important role in upper-class society. As it was customary during this time for royal couples to lead separate lives—commonly marrying simply to preserve bloodlines and to secure political alliances—men and women would often seek gratification and companionship from people living at court. In fact, the verb 'to court' originally meant "to be or reside at court", and later came to mean "to behave as a courtier" and then 'courtship', or "to pay amorous attention to somebody". The most intimate companion of a ruler was called the "favorite". In Renaissance usage, the Italian word cortigiana, feminine of cortigiano ("courtier") came to refer to a person who attends the court, and then to a well-educated and independent woman, eventually a trained artist or artisan of dance and singing, especially one associated with wealthy, powerful, or upper-class society who was given luxuries and status in exchange for entertainment and companionship. The word was borrowed by English from Italian through the French form courtisane during the 16th century, especially associated with the meaning of donna di Palazzo. A male figure comparable to the courtesan was the Italian cicisbeo, the French Chevalier servant, the Spanish Cortijo or estrecho. It actually seems that the figure of the chevalier servant (French, literally "serving cavalier", lady's escort) of a married lady was quite common in Europe up to the 18th century. The courtesans of East Asia, particularly those of the Japanese empire, held a different social role than that of their European counterparts. Examples of Japanese courtesans included the oiran class, who were more focused on the aspect of entertainment in comparison with European courtesans. Today, the term courtesan has become a euphemism to designate a comforter, escort, mistress or a prostitute, especially one of dignified etiquette who attracts wealthy, powerful, or influential clients.

Orientalism

A term coined by literary scholar Edward Said to describe the way Westerners misunderstood and described colonial subjects and cultures. it is a descriptor that identifies a particular type of genre subject represented in both the Academic or Romantic Styles during the 18-19th centuries. The "Orient" was a loosely defined region on the Eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea or Northern Africa. Many people from these regions did not practice Christian religions and previously resisted the European aggression during the Crusades. Inhabitants of these regions were stereotyped by Europeans such as the French and English in the visual arts and literature as cruel, passionate, and violent. To expansionist European countries, these stereotypes were convenient justifications for the legitimacy of western conquest, despite documentation that Europeans were equally cruel: recall Goya's Disasters of War series. France occupied Senegal and invaded Algeria during the Restoration period. They continued their expansion in Western Africa in the later 19th century. Edward Said (1935-2003) was a writer on post-colonialism. He exposed the Western invention of the term Orientalism. He explained that a viewer sees aspects of familiarity and novelty in art dealing with the "Orient." Said explained that the representation of Orientalism was a theatre of performance for Western audiences and incorporated the following: 1. Familiarity: The Orientalist's task is to confirm the expectations of the audience. So, an artist making an Orientalist work would be concerned with the expectations of the European audience. 2. Novelty: The Orientalists promoted a vision of difference between the familiar west identified as "us" as opposed to the unfamiliar East "them." Expectations of Western superiority vs. the barbarianism or the "other," were confirmed. Orientalism served to justify western invasion and exploitation of these areas (i.e. colonization). Invented Orientalism supplants the Orient itself. Viewers "shiver in fear or delight of novelty," when they see sculptures or paintings representing the Westernized view of the Orient. Please note that some scholars, especially those who want to glamorize the golden age of colonialism, challenge Said's interpretation. Interestingly there is an active market in purchasing such objects in the Middle-East as long as the art is not overtly racist or inaccurate.

Taito II, Katsushika

A woman standing on the strings of a kite based on a legend of a woman from Lake Biwa, who subdued a horse with the stomp of her foot onto the loose rein. • A beautiful courtesan stands on the strings of a horse kite. • This woman who "put her foot down" was considered very strong-I imagine that men of the time would not consider it so entertaining if the woman acted strongly towards them. • Called a parody picture when contemporary characters, this time a courtesan, was placed in historic situations. The opportunities for education continued to increase at the end of the Edo period both in the towns and in the rural areas. A survey during the Meiji Period (follows Edo Period-emperors restored in 1868 and Edo renamed Tokyo) recorded 40 percent of the boys and 10 percent of the girls received some formal education, outside the home; whereas previously education was the domain of the lords and samurai. The result is thus seen in the emergence then of more women artists involved in designing 19th-century woodblock prints

The Academy of Fine Arts

Academie des Beaux-Arts. Restored by Louis XVIII; largely run by David's students (excluded younger artists). *Interestingly it was Napoleon that restored the Academy during his 100 days in 1815 and renames it "Academie de painter et de sculpture." *In 1816 renames the restored Royal Academy The Academy of Fine Arts (Académie des Beaux-Arts) and the school was called the School of Fine Arts (Ecole des Beaux-Arts) *However, the right to submit work to the Salon exhibitions remained the same as it had been during the French Revolution. So even if an artist did not become a member of the restored Academy they still might rise to fame at the Salons. Salons were supposed to be held every two years during the restoration, and this was mostly true except for years when they were held every 3 years. The number of submissions increased at an even higher pace after the end of the war.

Hinan

Below the class system. Actors and courtesans were among those considered without class status. Ironically, they were often regarded as celebrities-however this was an illusion.

HOKUSAI Thirty-six views of Mt. Fuji, Under the wave off Kanagawa, commonly known as the "Great Wave."

Between 5,000-10,000 printed. 8 colors, 4 blue, 2 greys, pale pink & yellow (latter two faded in our example). • This is the first print in the series Thirty-six views of Mt. Fuji. • Reference: Hokusai's print "Fast cargo boat battling the waves" early 1800s. Hokusai sometimes recycled himself. • In the foreground in high seas are boats. • Boats are the Ishikari- which hauled cargos of fresh fish and vegetables from Izu and Awar to Edo. • The peril of man against nature: man, diminutive in contrast to the power of nature. • In the distance, slightly off center, is a small Mt. Fuji. This time Mt. Fuji is below the center line of the horizontal print. • Fuji is the subject and focal point. The title directs you "under the wave." • Fuji is diminished in "power" and scale in comparison to the power and scale of the waves. Even though if you were at the base of Mt. Fuji the 12,000-foot the mountain would look pretty big. • There is a contrast between the near waves and far Fuji (you will see this in other prints). • The contrast between the active waves that seem about to overwhelm the still Fuji. • The foreground is developed and a background implied but no real middle ground-flattening space. • The multiple blue tones of the waves, with their boiling white bubbles, can be compared with Fuji and its snow top. It makes it almost seem like Fuji is yet another wave on the sea. • Against the grey background, the water spray looks like snow falling onto the top of Fuji.

Japanese classes and their order of political and economic power.

Daimyo-lord (Top/above the class levels)-they often trained to be samurai, although they were above ordinary samurai. 1. Samurai-military personnel that took over bureaucratic tasks during peaceful times. 2. Farmers-outside of the city centers-the power of this class was philosophical. 3. Artisans=made things, labored with their own hands. Not from groups 1, 2, 4, nor daimyo nor hinan. 4. Merchants-lowest but wealthiest class. Considered unproductive but were economically powerful. Ran and owned businesses. Economic and political power were not the same during the Edo period. Hinan-below the class system. Actors and courtesans were among those considered without class status. Ironically, they were often regarded as celebrities-however this was an illusion. • The daimyo and samurai commissioned traditional painted calligraphic landscapes and flower pictures. • The townspeople or chonin were the major market for the prints. o The topics they would be interested were the subjects.

UTAMARO, The Courtesan's Clock (Twelve Hours of the Green Houses-a print series) c. 1794 to represent a day in the life of a Yoshiwara courtesan.

During the Edo period the greenhouses referred specifically to the pleasure areas of the Yoshiwara. Utamaro adopted a current literary trope of the hours of the day to reveal the routine of these high-class prostitutes. The series is not about individual celebrities of the floating world, instead, it underlines the illusion of the glamorous life of a high-class prostitute. In this series, Utamaro shows the "private moments" of his female subjects. 1. Hour of the Rat 12pm to 2 am Disrobing, guest probably waiting in an adjoining room. Her assistant, probably a Shinzo helps her by folding her outer-garment. 2. Hour of the Ox 2-4am. Courtesan probably getting up to go to the bathroom - maybe going from one client to the next. 3. Hour of the Tiger 4-6am. Two courtesans' having a smoke, perhaps delaying between customers - perhaps avoiding a customer they didn't like. 4. Hour of the Hare 6-8am. Courtesan holds the garment of a wealthy client with the interior of it with an expensive painting of Daruma. Beautiful painting in the interior because of Kansei period sumptuary laws. Daruma often associated with pictures of prostitutes during the Edo period. 5. Hour of the Dog 8-10am. 2 Shinzo are still abed, they have not yet had enough sleep after the night's work. 6. Hour of the Snake 10am-12. Courtesan has come from the bath and is being offered a cup of tea. 7. Hour of the Horse 12am -2. Courtesan views a letter and a kamuro is dressing her hair. 8. Hour of the Goat 2-4am. Courtesan receiving a present, apprentice reading the palm of young attendant. 9. Hour of the Monkey 4-6pm. High-ranking courtesan walking to a teahouse with her Shinzo (=junior courtesan). Hair adornment just visible above courtesan's obi. Multi-colored woodblock print. • Two full-figured women against a blank background. • They seem to be walking away from the viewer, but the right one turns her face back towards the viewer. • Both have obis tied to the front, identifying them as prostitutes, but the junior courtesan has the long kimono sleeves of an unmarried girl, and the mature courtesan has shorter sleeves of a married woman. Despite what seems to parallel the signs of married/unmarried women in their dress-both women would be active prostitutes. • Neither woman is named in this print. • Facial expression is abbreviated and idealized. • At least 6 colors were used. • Combination of colors, motifs and patterns in the kimono. • Often prostitutes were considered fashion setters. • The hairstyle of the senior prostitute (by senior I mean under 27) is elaborate with more decorative bars. • Bodies are elongated and clothing does not bunch as it does in the photograph of the real courtesans. • Series title is written between the hanging weights of a stylized lantern clock and the time of day (or night) in 2 hour intervals. 10. Hour of the Cock, 6-8pm. Business day starting. Courtesan has been called to a teahouse for a client. Her kamuro holds a folding lantern that has the Ogiya brothel fan mon. 11. Hour of the Dog 8-10pm. Courtesan writing a long letter to a favored client and whispering to a kamuro. One source says she is seated in the display room of a brothel, 14 another says this was another delaying tactic ploy used when wanted to avoid a client she did not like. 12. Hour of the boar 10pm-12 Drinking party. Courtesan has perhaps made a toast. The kamuro is serving the drink from a heated pot.

Charles Philipon, The Pears, illustration in Le Charivari January 17, 1831.

During the beginning of Louis-Philippe's July Monarchy freedom of the press was restored and newspaper and magazine publication flowered. Woodcut illustrations might appear within the text or sometimes loose-leaf lithographic prints were inserted. However, images that overtly ridiculed the king and his ministers ran the greatest risk of censorship. If an offending image was caught, editors, artists, and even printers might be arrested, punished with jail time, and/or fined. The liberal political journals La Silhouette and Le Charivari were closely watched. Censors learned to look at the lithographic inserts, so sometimes sly publishers started attaching subversive articles to pictures that were not related to politics. Often the newspaper illustrations were comic utilizing fantastic visual qualities, in contrast to what was commonly accepted as reality. As a result, the viewer would not recognize the "abnormal" if you didn't recognize the "normal." You have already seen these types of images in Goya's Los Caprichos. These comic images have traditionally stood in opposition to what is considered the high or fine arts. The French Academy's goal was to present the viewer with an inspiring ideal, a beauty, that in its perfection was the embodiment of truth and heroism. The comic was grounded in ugliness to be avoided or derided. They start with characters that are not idealized and add any deformity or exaggeration from the "norm" (if we accept that there is a "normal"). Comic images were also made by caricaturists who used pseudosciences such as physiognomy and phrenology developed by Swiss Protestant minister Kaspar Lavater. (Another system was by Franz Joseph Gall, an Austrian physician). These so-called "scientific" studies invented a set of bogus relationships between the appearance of human heads with character and intelligence. They analyzed the shape and placed importance on facial angles, proportions, and measurements. Just as in the method of teaching the classical ideal that relied on the angle of the nose, the height of forehead etc. phrenology was loosely based on a resemblance of certain human faces to specific animals. Caricaturists used these concepts to comically transform flora and fauna into a face or body. See the next example of just such a thing. (Please note that not all of these phrenology caricatures were benign. A body of nasty images was developed in the 19th century to justify racism, sexism etc.). Philipon was both publisher and caricaturist. He was accused of "offense to the person of the king because of his caricature of the king" (Chu). He was convicted of offending the crown 3 times between 1831-33. He gave a demonstration in court, which did not get him out of the crime: "Pencil in hand, Philipon showed the court the contradictions that followed from condemning the pear motif as an offense to the king's person. He drew four heads: the first was a representation of Louis-Philippe; in the second, he slightly reduced the distinctiveness of the features; the third emphasized further the shape of the head pointed on the top, rounded the bottom and the fourth was a pear. To be consistent, Philipon claimed the court would have to prosecute any drawing of a pear-shaped object in any context." (Judith Wechsler) • 4 Pears, 3 with human faces, are printed in an equal square shape in the lower 3/4 of the paper sheet. At the top is a caption in a larger text with additional text below it. • Rather than an animal, which is a common form of caricature, artist Philipon used a fruit. • To be exact, a pear shape, that was said to picture a swollen head. Notice the top (or "crown" of the pear) is small in comparison with the belly of the pear. Suggesting an inverted ratio in terms of intelligence vs. appetite (see also Daumier's Gargantua). • Poire (pear) was a French slang term for a fool, dupe, sucker. • This print ridicules the royal pretensions of Louis-Philippe, sometimes called the usurper (of the king's throne). Louis-Philippe was not officially the king of France, he was the "king of the French" from a minor branch of the royal family.

EDGAR DEGAS b. 1853 - 1917

He was the eldest son of a Parisian banking family. Some drawing study in Italy. Worked in the mediums of painting (oil and pastel), drawing, printmaking, and sculpture. He was a painter of modern subjects: daily life, new inventions, horse racing scenes, and urban leisure. His urban scenes focused on entertainments, particularly theatre, dance, and cabaret musicals, but he also painted and made prints of prostitutes that are not glamorized nor in my opinion eroticized. He used the female nude in his work, both bathers and prostitutes, but did not call them Venuses nor odalisques. He also painted lower class working women such as laundresses and milliners. He is associated with the Impressionists but did not work in plein-air and did not paint unpopulated landscapes. He was a figurative artist and is best known for his genre subjects, although he did paint some portraits. Formally like the impressionists, he was interested in light but more so artificial light. He preferred to be called a realist or naturalist painter and disliked the term "Impressionist," since it originated as a pejorative term, despite the fact that he regularly exhibited with the group. He did not idealize his figures-nor did he individualize them. They are most often "types" of people. It is not clear that he empathizes with the plight of specific people, rather his paintings refuse to allow the academy's comfortable bourgeois fantasy world to stand without challenge. In the tradition of other significant modern artists such as Goya, Gericault, Daumier, Courbet, and Millet, the presence of those who were often ignored, are brought forward in his art. He played with space in his compositions through cropping and asymmetry to subvert academic traditions. He also put obstructions in the foreground to disrupt compositional space. • 1874 In the first Impressionist Exhibition he displayed 10 works and by default ended up as the organizer of this and other Impressionist exhibitions. • 1876 Second exhibition submitted 24 works • 1877 showed 25 works. • 1879 (4th Impressionist exhibition) 20 paintings and pastels plus 5 fans. • First electric street lighting (arc lamps). Eighty were used starting in 1875 in Paris in the shopping district, which earned Paris its nickname "The City of Lights."

1862 Edouard Manet, Luncheon on the Grass, OC, 7 x9 feet Salon des Refuses

Histothe Ric Context E: • Baudelaire wrote a Salon review in 1846. In it, he specified that artists should portray a grand and epic quality in the life of the big city. He seemed particularly interested in women, in their modern lives. However, these modern women were largely molded by men and of course painted by men. One artist who painted such topics was Constantin Guys, who showed women in new fashions. The French word for fashion is mode and it was similar to a new term modern or modernity. Other artists who dealt with the modern woman included Courbet and Manet. • In 1856 Flaubert wrote Madame Bovary. This novel outraged some members of the public and the author was put on trial because of its offense to morality however he was acquitted. Public morality was tied to the behavior of women, in this case, a fictional small town wife who was seduced. She craved a life of luxury beyond her means and ended up unhappy, in debt and committed suicide. • Hottest 1860s entertainment in France was the famous can-can dance. • The painting was invented and painted inside the studio. • Luncheon on the Grass was named "Le Bain" (The Bath) by Manet. However, when originally exhibited the critics never referred to it by this title - they made up their own. Manet later adopted the popular title Luncheon on the Grass. • The portrayal of men/students dressed next to undressed women. Some writers thought that Manet had deliberately set out to shock the audience. At the time this painting was shown there was a real Parisian scandal about male college students' behavior. • Criticism was not all bad but below were the strongest criticisms: o Reviewers commented about the level of painting completion or lack-there-of. Referred to it as a lack of finish or finishing or "like a sketch." o Criticizedtitle: Didn't make sense to viewers as a bath. o Many critics completely avoided discussing it. Lack of attention is sometimes more of an insult than bad reviews. o Some called the women bread, the lowest class of prostitutes. Audience vs. published critics: • The audience laughed because they were so uncomfortable. • Napoleon III said to have turned away in disgust despite having a series of mistresses himself, demonstrating the hypocrisy that Manet was supposedly addressed in the painting. • Sold in 1878 to the singer for 2,600 francs. He sold it in 1898 to art dealer Durand Ruel for 20,000 who in turn sold it to the state for 55,000 francs. • Art historians o This painting is regularly referred to as a breakthrough work because of the formal challenges the artist made to academic standards as well as his challenge to the practice of using historical narratives to conceal (with a wink and a smile) contemporary content. Historians accept the nudity of the figure as necessary to confront or "shock" the audience. o When the subject matter is address by historians a common explanation is that the subject confronted the gap between current behaviors and professed morality. o Let's come back to the means of the message. The art has used the figures and in particular the central woman and her body to convey his artistic concerns. This was not a rarity in art. But in the history of modernism, the new handling of the subject is considered a significant step in the development of modernism. o What do you think, is this justifiable? The woman was a paid model, does this make it okay?

Shogun

In feudal Japan, a noble similar to a duke. They were the military commanders and the actual rulers of Japan for many centuries while the Emperor was a powerless spiritual figure. The word "shogun" is a title that was granted by the Emperor to the country's top military commander. During the Heian period (794-1185) the members of the military gradually became more powerful than the court officials, and eventually, they took control of the whole government. The shōgun controlled foreign policy, the military, and feudal patronage. The role of the Emperor was ceremonial, similar to the position of the Japanese monarchy after the Second World War.

Monet, Women in the Garden, OC 1866-67, 8 ft 4 in. x 6 ft 8 in.

This painting was refused by the Salon jury. It was likely shown later at a gallery or maybe at one of the Impressionist exhibitions. • Painted in a real place out-of-doors/plein air. • Used tone vs. value, for example, the yellow dress has contrasting areas or blocks of tones of the same color. In the academic painting, the graduated application of color (which is sometimes referred to as value) is typically used to create the illusion of volume. For the non-majors see these URLs for a practical explanation. http://drawsketch.about.com/cs/pencilgraphite/a/tonal_drawing.htm http://painting.about.com/od/colourtheory/ss/ColorClassTones.htm • Harsh contrast between light and shade. • Light pours through the leaves and sparkles on the women's dresses. • The shadow on the face of the seated woman was tinted green because the artist wanted to show the reflection of colors in shadows. Morisot does this too. • There is still some illusion of volume in Monet's use of tone but tone vs. value largely flattens the painting when you are up close. • His painting strokes are free and loose (anti-"Davidian"). • Not "finished or polished" according to the strict standards of the academy. • The women portrayed are actually one woman painted 4 times. • She is shown in contemporary fashion, not a toga, she is a modern woman-but, not a prostitute as Manet's modern woman was. She is dressed. • Monet suggested no meaning other than that which existed at the moment. There is no formal climax, the objects in the painting are ordinary, it is a slice of daily life. It is not a narrative. • This painting and others by Monet were not based on allegorical nor mythological narratives. Monet represented people of his own class enjoying recreational activities. When the figures are large like these the academic classification would be considered genre painting even though they are situated in a landscape, when these types of everyday people are tiny the academic classification would be landscape.

Print themes echo Edo period activities: a circular system

Those who participated in ukiyo activities tried to convince themselves that they were admired by those who served them. That they were stylish and witty. While participating they lost themselves in this dream in which their desires were being met (think HBO's Westworld). Most Edo period ukiyo-e (ukiyo=floating world; -e=pictures) prints and novels dealt with services and entertainments offered for sale. Pictures/prints pumped the desire for new and novel things. They contributed to an invented culture that was like a masquerade ball. Recall Goya's "Nobody knows anybody" from Los Caprichos. In Edo Japan the "richest members of society" the merchants, had no power and nothing they did really make any difference to the upper classes, as long as they provided enough goods for them. Rich consumers fooled themselves, and those in the service industry were players in this masquerade in order to relieve the clients of their money. It was a circular system: the prints helped to visualize and solidify an ideology in which those who both offered and partook in hedonistic ephemeral pleasures were glorified above their traditional social status. It is a common historical phenomenon that the lower classes "emulate" the fashions and interests of the upper classes. The unwary viewer of ukiyo-e prints will not understand this. They weren't fooling the upper classes, who for the most part tolerated this system as a pressure value. Occasionally the daimyo would invoke a disapproving action such as fining or jailing print designers or publishers. However, usually, these sanctions were meant to divert attention away from some other, more important political or economic issue. Other less wealthy townspeople also participated in this masquerade when they could afford it. Even though the samurai was supposed to be above such low-brow chonin diversions, since they had more time because of the peace during the Edo period, they also participated in floating world activities. Samurai was feared, considered a societal anachronism, yet admired and emulated. Samurai carried two swords. Increasingly they were "show" warriors and their aggression was channeled into maintaining the bureaucracy. One of the shoguns constructed a facsimile of a brothel in his castle.

Monet, Impression, Sunrise OC 1872 18 x 24 in. Monet, Sunrise Marine, 1873 OC c.18 x 24 in.

Today in the Marmottan Museum in Paris. • Exhibited in the first Impressionist Exhibition in 1874. • This painting is associated with the naming of the group. An art critic intended it as a denouncement, but by the 1890s it was being used positively as the group's label. • The site is the harbor of Le Havre • It has been proposed that the many steamships, packet boats, masts, and cranes were evidence of the heavy use of the commercial harbor in the rebuilding of France after the Prussian War. Some scholars suggest the painting may be referencing the vitality of the economy of a newly democratic France. However, "Monet never expressed these concerns explicitly" (Paul Tucker, "The First Impressionist Exhibition and Monet's Impression, Sunrise..." Art History, vol.7, No.4, December 1984, 472). The safe conclusion is that Monet shows a pattern of being interested in light effects caused by weather and time of day. He was also interested in representing evidence of modern times in this case manifested by technology. Modern technology is seen in other paintings such as the series of paintings based on a train terminal. However, he does not always represent new technology. • The moment represented was sunrise. The sunlight is tinting the sky and an orange orb hangs against a blue-grey cloud of fog above the horizon line. Blue and orange are complementary colors. • Two possibly three rowboats are indicated by quick sketches. • The brush strokes are loose and choppy when seen closely, however, when seen from a distance it appears that the water is rippling with movement. • Tall ship masts and stacks with smoke or steam are in the background. • Despite the fog/steam, this is not a threatening painting. Ships are not racing to run us down. It is not sublime. • In 1955 it was proposed in a thesis, that this painting of the Le Havre port was not the painting shown at the first Impressionist exhibition. Rather it was asserted that a painting, which at the time was in a private collection was the real Impression, Sunrise of art historical fame. (now at the Getty Museum). Industrial harbor at Le Havre painted prior to the next painting. Owned by private collectors including the industrialist Henri Rouart (also a painter and collector)) so most scholars only knew it through reproduction. Previously this painting was never out of the family collection. This painting probably began out of doors but finished in the studio. Considered more radical than famous painting because the foreground sailboat flattens the space rather than leading the figure into deep space. However more radical does not necessarily translate to better. I like the brushwork on Impression Sunrise much better and the complementary colors. Possibly shown at the second Impressionist exhibition. • Art historians and museum professionals investigated this theory and in the 1970s most scholars agreed that the Marmottan Impression, Sunrise was the original. They based their decision on 1893 and 1906 attributions and the provenance. The provenance of the Marmottan painting has the original collector as Hoschedé, followed in 1778 by Bellio, however, the receipt for the latter sale states the painting was called Impression, Sunset. It passed through inheritance to de Monchy who left it temporarily with the Musee Marmottan in 1838 prior to WWII. It became the property of the museum in 1957 through a bequest. • Interestingly this painting from the private collection was purchased in 1998 by the Getty Museum. It is titled Sunrise, Marine and per the Getty's provenance index was purchased by Rouart in 1875 under its current title. Additional points of contention include Monet's later description of the painting (1898), the sun effect portrayed, and its exhibition history. Quite a thorny point is that Sunrise, Marine was cut down in size and now matches the exact size of Impression, Sunrise. No photographic documentation from the 1874 exhibition exists for either painting. • Better scholars than myself are sticking with the Marmottan attribution. (now at the Getty Museum). Industrial harbor at Le Havre painted prior to the next painting. Owned by private collectors including the industrialist Henri Rouart (also a painter and collector)) so most scholars only knew it through reproduction. Previously this painting was never out of the family collection. This painting probably began out of doors but finished in the studio. Considered more radical than famous painting because the foreground sailboat flattens the space rather than leading the figure into deep space. However more radical does not necessarily translate to better. I like the brushwork on Impression Sunrise much better and the complementary colors. Possibly shown at the second Impressionist exhibition. • Art historians and museum professionals investigated this theory and in the 1970s most scholars agreed that the Marmottan Impression, Sunrise was the original. They based their decision on 1893 and 1906 attributions and the provenance. The provenance of the Marmottan painting has the original collector as Hoschedé, followed in 1778 by Bellio, however, the receipt for the latter sale states the painting was called Impression, Sunset. It passed through inheritance to de Monchy who left it temporarily with the Musee Marmottan in 1838 prior to WWII. It became the property of the museum in 1957 through a bequest. • Interestingly this painting from the private collection was purchased in 1998 by the Getty Museum. It is titled Sunrise, Marine and per the Getty's provenance index was purchased by Rouart in 1875 under its current title. Additional points of contention include Monet's later description of the painting (1898), the sun effect portrayed, and its exhibition history. Quite a thorny point is that Sunrise, Marine was cut down in size and now matches the exact size of Impression, Sunrise. No photographic documentation from the 1874 exhibition exists for either painting. • Better scholars than myself are sticking with the Marmottan attribution.

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi

Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (Japanese: 月岡 芳年; also named Taiso Yoshitoshi 大蘇 芳年; 30 April 1839 - 9 June 1892) was a Japanese artist. He is widely recognized as the last great master of the ukiyo-e genre of woodblock printing and painting. He is also regarded as one of the form's greatest innovators. His career spanned two eras - the last years of Edo period Japan, and the first years of modern Japan following the Meiji Restoration. Like many Japanese, Yoshitoshi was interested in new things from the rest of the world, but over time he became increasingly concerned with the loss of many aspects of traditional Japanese culture, among them traditional woodblock printing. By the end of his career, Yoshitoshi was in an almost single-handed struggle against time and technology. As he worked on in the old manner, Japan was adopting Western mass reproduction methods like photography and lithography. Nonetheless, in a Japan that was turning away from its own past, he almost singlehandedly managed to push the traditional Japanese woodblock print to a new level, before it effectively died with him. His life is perhaps best summed up by John Stevenson: Yoshitoshi's courage, vision and force of character gave ukiyo-e another generation of life and illuminated it with one last burst of glory — John Stevenson, Yoshitoshi's One Hundred Aspects of the Moon, 1992. His reputation has only continued to grow, both in the West, and among younger Japanese, and he is now almost universally recognized as the greatest Japanese artist of his era. During his life, he produced many series of prints, and a large number of triptychs, many of great merit. Two of his three best-known series, the One Hundred Aspects of the Moon and Thirty-Six Ghosts, contain numerous masterpieces. The third, Thirty-Two Aspects of Customs and Manners, was for many years the most highly regarded of his work but does not now have that same status. Other less-common series also contains many fine prints, including Famous Generals of Japan, A Collection of Desires, New Selection of Eastern Brocade Pictures, and Lives of Modern People. While demand for his prints continued for a few years, eventually interest in him waned, both in Japan and around the world. The canonical view in this period was that the generation of Hiroshige was really the last of the great woodblock artists, and more traditional collectors stopped even earlier, at the generation of Utamaro and Toyokuni. However, starting in the 1970s, interest in him resumed, and reappraisal of his work has shown the quality, originality, and genius of the best of it, and the degree to which he succeeded in keeping the best of the old Japanese woodblock print, while pushing the field forward by incorporating both new ideas from the West, as well as his own innovations.

HIROSHIGE, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo-title/subject The Mannenbashi Bridge in Fukagawa (free the turtles!)

• Besides its association as an "illegal" pleasure area, by the 19th century, it had become a location for leisure activities that were not associated with sexual entertainment. It was well known for its seafood restaurants. • The joe festival was celebrated at Buddhist and Shinto shrines. As part of the ceremonies captive animals such as birds, fish and turtles were released. • Fish and turtles could be purchased near the water. • The turtle was a long-standing symbol of longevity (10,000 years). To release a turtle would be to invoke this hope for a long life. • An example of how the artist crops the foreground objects against a more distant view. • Near and Far. Zoom-in. The turtle is suspended from a rope in the upper third of the print on the right. His head faces the water. • Since the title already gives away that this scene is sited on a bridge we would logically think that that turtle hangs from one of the beams of the bridge. But this is not the case. We see a light yellowish tone on "beams" on the top left and bottom. In fact, these are not beams at all but part of a bucket-the turtle is hanging from a bucket placed beside the beam of the bridge. The bridge is printed with a light pinkish tone. • Zoom-out. In the distant background Mt. Fuji can be observed and boats float on the Sumida river. • Formally the print is interesting since the framed scene has a rukenfigur of sorts but it is a turtle that leads us to view the distance rather than a human. (19th-century German artist Caspar David Friedrich used the rukenfigur.)

HIROSHIGE, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo: Distant view of the Kinryuzan and the Azumabashi Bridge "Cherry blossom petals in the wind."

• Certain areas of the city well known for activities, commerce or beauty. • Near and Far. Zoom-in a covered boat possibly a ferry crosses the river with at least one female passenger-she is so cropped that we cannot see her face, only the design of the fabrics and hair-the form takes on a geometric quality. • Zoom-out on the right bank of the river buildings, one a temple, and Mt. Fuji is in the distance, framed by the edge of the boat cover. • Both the front of the boat and the end of the boat are cropped out, to the point that very little information is left about the boat and its riders. • Floating in the air are flower petals. It indicates the time of year of this print, but where did those cherry blossoms come from? Actually, across from the Sensoji monastery outside of the picture frame to the left, were many beautiful cherry trees. • Thus, the source of the blossoms is implied, but what the viewer is supposed to experience is the fleeting moment when the blooms are carried over the river by the wind. • The graduated ink effect is seen at both the top and the bottom of the print.

Meissonier, French Memory of Civil War or Barricade, 1848. Style period realism

• December 1848, Louis Napoleon was elected president of the Second Republic. He was the nephew of Napoleon I (Chu). • In December 1851 President Napoleon was not able to get an extension on his term limit, so he mounted a military coup and established himself as EMPEROR NAPOLEON III (1851-1870). His first government the Second Republic ends and the new government was called the Second Empire. Interestingly there were revolutions in other European countries including Germany, Italy, Austria, Hungary and Bohemia in 1848.

Toyoharu-Night Scene in the Yoshiwara (Night scene-crowded street, New Yoshiwara) the early 1760s

• First recall the night scenes you saw in Goya's art. Technically they were achieved through the aquatint plate method and inking. Here we have a deep black on a woodblock rather than a metal plate-likely inked twice-in the upper portion of the print with stars. • In terms of additional colors are two main colors, a salmon pink/orange, and a light grey-green plus black and the untreated white of the paper. • Small figures are in the foreground are placed in horizontal landscape composition. They are on a street and pass through an off-center gate that goes between buildings. Even smaller figures are in the distance as they make their way along the curving path from Edo to the gated entrance. • This scene represents the licensed brothel district that was located out-of-town. Clients would have to walk, ride or take a boat to partake in its night-time activities. Kabuki performances were during the day, and the theaters were in- town, but the brothel district working hours were at night. It was deliberately isolated and there were walls and gates around it, more to keep the workers in than to keep clients out. The gate is visible, but not the walls. • Note also the wooden lattice bars on the windows.

HOKUSAI Thirty-six views of Mt. Fuji, subject "Fuji from a Temple."

• Focus on the people viewing Mt. Fuji making this scene a combination of genre and landscape. Most of the figural group face away from the viewer. • Mt. Fuji is at the center of the horizon line in the distance. The diagonal lines on both sides point to Mt. Fuji on the horizon as a vanishing point. • Tiny Fuji is in the distance, blue and silhouetted against a light red/pink. • Mostly a blue picture. • Mt. Fuji is the consistent element of the series, but often it is the act of experiencing the landscape that is the critical element, not the mountain itself. • The temple site was famous for the 500 statues of the apprentices of the Buddha all with individualized faces. However, none of this is portrayed.

HIROSHIGE, One Hundred Famous Views of Edo-subject Fuji and Fuji replica or mini-Fuji (New Fuji). Also called Fujizuka

• Fuji replicas were either built or existing mounds were renamed. Most were built from 1800 to 1930. 50 or so still survive. • This continues, in a way, the more ancient practice of building a mound tomb for rulers to signify mountains. The theory being that sacred peaks elevate into the "heavens" becoming a conceptual space "between." • In addition, multiplicity in some Asian cultures increased the homage intended. • The popularity of climbing Mt Fuji grew in the 19th century. • Fuji replicas were landscaped to include a zigzag path, similar to the original Fuji. • But despite the religious origin, since these Fuji's were easy to ascend they came to be viewed recreationally too. Entertainments were established around them such as tea stalls, benches, and restaurants. • At the base of this Fuji, there are beautiful spring cherry trees-indicating the specific time of year. • Women and children were banned from climbing the actual mountain, however, the replicas gave them a chance to climb. • It was unwise to climb the original mountain during certain seasons. • Replica climbers do not wear the traditional white pilgrim's clothing. Watering down the metaphors of life and death in the actual Fuji ascension. Given the dangers of the ascent, Fuji pilgrim's "prepared to lose their lives" (Takeuchi). • It is reported that over 100 artificial Fujis were constructed or repurposed during the Edo period (I think we need one in the art department!) • Note in this print the clever scale contrast between the two conical mountains. In the foreground, the petite Fuji replica (seethe scale of trees and humans) appears larger than the distant 12,000 ft. volcano. • The sky is red at the horizon, likely representing morning as that was a particularly beautiful moment.

c. 1872 Gerome, Prayer in the Mosque, (Chu fig 12.15) OC 35 x 29"

• Orientalism subject; Academic style. • Hyper-realism of painting does not necessarily translate into true content. Think of our understanding of the Internet or TV; just because something is reported in the media does not make it true. What is not really about this scene? In class. • Interior scene. Composed geometrically so that there is an illusion of deep space. The is a particular type of building-recognizable from its architecture as Islamic, the activity of the many people imply that they are at prayers. • The demand was for convincing images of the near East "the so-called Orient" from the perspective of the West. Those who exploited the "East" wished to invalidate the authority of the indigenous people. • "... the Orientalist makes it his work to be always converting the orient from something into something else..." Edward Said, Orientalism, 1978. Consider who is not present in this painting? i.e. The French man who painted it. Gerome traveled to the near east but this does not mean that he represented truth in this painting. It is important to consider Gerome's role in the selection of the subject and how this particular topic plays into the points above. • There are never white spectators in Gerome's scenes, even though Europeans traveled to the near east at the time. Those who visited such places often saw what they wanted to see. • The building portrayed was no longer being used as a mosque. What is Orientalist about this painting? Who were the intended viewers of this painting, when it was originally painted?

Cassatt, A Cup of Tea OC 1880 26 x 37 in

• Shown at the 5th Impressionist exhibition. • Note the posture of the women and how their faces are not idealized, in fact, they are blocked by cup and hand. • Cassatt was interested in imported Japanese prints, elements such as the juxtaposition of patterns and unusual cropping of the body or body parts may be inspired by this interest. Cassatt also made prints (with friend Degas). • No overt narrative, a scene of everyday life.

Morisot Cradle OC 1873 20 x 16 in

• Shown at the first impressionist exhibition. • Its subject/content is that of mother and child, probably her sister Edma, bonding with her child. Morisot took up themes that were deemed stereotypically female, sentimental illustrations such as the one in La Moniteur de la Mode appeared in women's magazines. Please keep in mind that this is a genre topic, not a narrative. However, Morisot represented the genre subject in a modern way, through her choice of formal elements. • In the cradle, we see a reduction in the range of colors. • The brushwork is loose, the pictorial space is shallow. The figure of the woman, in her fashionable blue-stripped dress, is tucked into a small island of space, in-between the blue-white of the cradle and the drapery behind and above her. • The expressions on the faces are neutral. Compare with Bouguereau for an idealized woman with an inviting expression. If you have a textbook note the author's discussion in the about "the polished, seductive prettiness of much academic painting" (Chu, 380).

Utamaro, Kitchen Scene, woodblock diptych, 1794-95.

• Some of Utamaro's prints show serving women-think Degas (unit 12) • 2 of the women are cooks, likely the 2 with the more elaborate hairstyles were waitresses. • Utamaro expands the picture in terms of the representation of women-very few men in his oeuvre. • He departs from the idealized figure in some of his works. • He was fascinated by life. But not usually in a critical way, unlike Goya. • In Japanese society the effort to look attractive was not considered to be negative, for example, a woman doing her hair looking into a mirror was a celebration of beauty, not a demonstration of vanity.

the Academy of Fine Arts (updates in 1830s)

• Substantial competition/antagonism in the French Academy between artists working in the Romantic style and those artists working in the Neo-classical style (referred to as classicism but use the term Academic style). • Training at the School of Fine Arts (i.e. Royal Academy School) continued with the same curriculum: theory, copying, and study of the male nude with the potential of a culminating prize to Rome. (Today the school is called the National School of Fine Arts.) • Not all men who went to the Academy's School became members of the Academy, but many would exhibit at the Salons (if accepted by the jury). Artists who used "new" subjects and "new" modes of painting would have problems getting past these gatekeepers). By 1800 under Napoleon, the old nobility had recovered about half of the lands seized during the 1789 French Revolution. In 1825, Charles X ascended the throne of France (the second younger brother of Louis XVI). Freedom of the press was established by the "Restoration" constitution. The press exposed decisions imposed by the king on the people. Charles X attempted to turn back the clock on government reforms mandated by the constitutional monarchy. In 1830 actions by his government resulted in another revolution • Control of schools was returned to the Catholic Church. France underwent a period of Christian revival. • Rumors circulated that remaining lands formerly belonging to the nobility and sold during the 1789 Revolution, were going to be returned to the original "noble" owners by King Charles X (1825-1830). Charles X was considered an ultra-royalist. Under his rule, returning royals were given "some" reimbursement for the lands that had been seized by the state during the revolution. • The final straw was the July 26 ordinances enacted by Charles X and published in Le Moniteur (newspaper). 1. Charles X eliminated freedom of the press. Workers in the printing industry understood this would affect their livelihood. Printers were already worried that the invention of the steam-powered printing press would put many of the hand-printers out of work. 2. Charles X dissolved the chamber of deputies (lower house of the French Parliament, elected from the middle-class taxpayers with a certain level of income. (Under the Charter of 1814, French kings ruled under a constitutional monarchy - 2 houses of parliament that were consultative rather than strictly legislative (except on taxation). The king appointed members of the upper house the Conseillers d'Etat from the nobility. Subsequently: • King ordered new elections. • Altered the number of deputy positions. • Withdrew their right of amendment. • Excluded the "commercial" bourgeoisie from future elections. On July 27th for the next French revolution. Interestingly the July Revolution (only 3 days) began in the printing district. After the success of the revolution, the July 26th ordinances were repealed and the Bourbon kings were mostly finished. The Bourbon Monarchy was replaced by the July Monarchy, with Louis-Philippe, a royal cousin from a minor branch of the royal family (House of Orleans) selected as the King of the French. Re the reign of Louis-Philippe: colonialism increased rather than the reinstating royal power, there was a rise in the power of the bourgeoisie (the bourgeoisie were the rich members of the middle class). Contrasting bourgeois wealth poverty increased in part brought on by the effects of the industrial revolution. Not by coincidence, this was the same time that socialist and Marxist philosophies were developed. Although all citizens were proclaimed "equal under the law" only the privileged elite, defined by wealth, were allowed to vote (only 200,000). The result was the end of noble dominance. Catholicism lost its status as the official religion of the state. The revolutionary tricolor was permanently adopted as the flag of France. This was the flag of the 18th century Revolution and Napoleon's Empire. During the Restoration period (1815-30) it was replaced by a white flag. Louis-Philippe overthrew in 1848 (The art of chapter 11) Side note: there were several revolutions in other European countries during the 1830s Landscape art continued to rise in popularity for home decoration. Remember in the 1850s commercial galleries are more common. Showrooms, shops, and rented spaces were used by artists and groups to display their art. By 1861, 104 picture dealers in Paris. Avant-Garde (the leading front) artists' such as Courbet made most of their living from their landscape paintings. Barbizon school painters became popular. Courbet turned to landscapes during the late 1850s, specializing in scenes from his native Jura region and seascapes in Normandy. EXHIBITIONS OF 1863 • Submission dates for the 1863 salon were March 20 to April 1. • A jury of 13, the main juror was Signal a history painter and a staunch academic. • Of the 5,000 submissions, 2,217 were accepted. A number of exhibitors was cut from 1,289 in the 1862 salon to 988 in the 1863 salon. • Artist discontent was very high: some of lower academic genres (landscapes, genre and still lives) were slighted in representation even though they were popular with the middle-class viewers/art-buyers. • Lots of complaints so Napoleon III asked to see some of the refused canvases. Interestingly four of the refused were paintings his wife had recently commissioned. Napoleon sent for his art commissioner Nieuwerkerke, who sent a subordinate rather than coming himself. Subsequently, the commissioner was ordered to reconvene the jury to reconsider the rejected canvases. The official pointed out that this would injure the reputation of the jury and some of them might resign. • The emperor's solution was to sponsor a second exhibition and make the public the jury. Before the Salon exhibition opened a sculptor (Antoine Entex) self-published a brochure recommending reforms to the organization of the Salon (although they were not accepted). He recommended that academic classifications of works be abolished. • People independent of the Academy should compose the preliminary jury. • So, the Official Salon opened on May 1st in the Palais de l'Industrie, a building originally built for the 1855 Universal Exposition. This salon exhibition was nicknamed by critics the"Salon of the Venuses," because of all of the nudes. See fig 12.21, which was purchased privately by Napoleon III. • The figure of those who were offered the opportunity to exhibit in the Salon des Refuses grew to 4,000. Nieuwerkerke the arts commissioner offered them the opportunity to withdraw their works and 600 did. Nieuwerkerke deliberately exploited the artists' fears of ridicule. • The Academy was allowed to order the work-which they could set up in a way to advance ridicule of work they didn't like. • The public would be permitted to review and rank rooms with what they considered "the worst art" and express their disapproval. • Preparations for the Salon des Refuses continued during the first 2 weeks of the official Salon. The Salon jury organized the art in such a way that the "worst" works were put in the most conspicuous places. The did not sort by artist name or artistic genre so it made the exhibition look like a jumble. • The artists taking part formed a committee, however, the official Salon's administrators were the organizers of both Salons and paid little attention to the Refuses committee. • Salon des Refuses opened on May 15th to immense public curiosity in the annex of the Palais de l'Industrie, the so-called "Hall of Machines." This building was another 1855 construction (1855 Universal Exhibition see fig 15.14). • The Refuses committee was able to assemble a catalog for their exhibition, which they titled the "Counter-exhibition." However, the title that the Emperor ordered was the "Au salon annex: refuses par le jury de 1863." This catalog mentions 781 items but it is believed there were as many as 5,000 were exhibited. The administrators of the official salon hired guards to prevent the refuses catalog from being sold inside the building.

HOKUSAI Thirty-six views of Mt. Fuji, title: Mt Fuji from Mishima Pass subject: "Hiking Mt. Fuji" (tree hug also present in other prints).

• The 3 travelers on a hike up to Mt. Fuji are trying to encircle an ancient cryptomeria tree. More hikers move along the trail. • The tree in the center, whose needles are mostly cropped by the top of the horizontal print format, is strongly a foreground element. The positioning makes the comparison in scale with Fuji...interesting. • This Fuji is also flattened-the foreground is developed and a background implied but no real middle ground. • Clouds over the mountain top called kasagumo-cap clouds in old times thought that they represented human souls wandering. Notice the clouds are almost in the shape of an ascending dragon, a creature who was said to dwell at the summit of the mountain. • The people in the foreground interact with the environment. • Notice the predominance of blue tones. • Considered a secondary print because of the humor.

HIROSHIGE, One Hundred Famous Views, Yoroi Ferry, Koamicho.

• The dramatically receding distance is portrayed with a diagonal line. One would assume that the line is heading towards a vanishing point, however, the figure of a woman blocks that vanishing point. • Only the left side of the woman is visible, split by the picture edge. She stands under a parasol. • The walkway she stands on is also cropped. The ferry, from the title name, is also dramatically cropped. • This is an example of how the Japanese artists understood western perspective but exaggerated and joked about it rather than uniformly portraying. • The white buildings on the left where the diagonal lines head into the distance, have identical buildings that get smaller and smaller suggesting a recession in space. The vertical lines, indicating multiple buildings, create a rhythm. • At the top and the bottom of the panel are gradated bands of ink.

Before the Mirror (=Psyche) OC, 1876 65 x 54 cm. L. Morisot, The Psyche (or mirror), Impressionism

• There is no illusion of texture, there is actual texture in the loose brushwork. • The brushstrokes are the same on the dress, in the mirror reflection, on the drapes and sofa. • The sameness of color and brushstroke reduces the illusion of pictorial depth. • In terms of subject, the young woman is inspecting her effect, no signs of coquetry except neck ribbon and the casual slip of the dress of her shoulder. • Demonstrates how a woman could engage in modern painting: because Morisot was a woman she saw and knew women from a woman's perspective. A dual perspective since she knew both how women see themselves and how men see them. • Compare with the Bouguereau's Young Girl... (notes below), "The painting's subject is rather absurd, at least to modern eyes. A young girl seated on a block of stone is warding off Cupid, who must be read as an allegory of masculine libido. Her struggle does not show much conviction, however, because she pushes Cupid away playfully, coyly showing off her naked body to its best effect" (the Chu, 380). • Morisot's woman is also inspecting her effect but her painting does not exhibit the eroticism of the Bouguereau painting. Bouguereau uses a narrative that has his young girl resisting the temptations of Cupid, however, the way her body is portrayed so sensuously, the viewer is invited to enjoy the eroticism Cupid is denied. Bouguereau's healthy, trim idealized beauty is painted with hyper-realism (the style is Academic not Realism).

Monet Gare Saint-Lazare "Train Station" as an identifier is good enough, OC 1877, 32 x 39 in

• This painting was completed out of doors (=plein air) • An example of a topic of everyday life, this time rather than a genre subject this cityscape would be identified as a landscape. That is if it had shown at the Salon. • A modern theme was the train station and the new transportation technology that took commuters to their homes. The engine steam underlined industrial technology and its power. • This painting was one in a series of 12 paintings on the topic. More than a dozen views seen from many vantage points were done at different times of the day. Monet regularly used this bridge going from his home to studio. Engineer Eugene Flachat had redesigned the station a decade earlier making the gabled shed one of the most daring of contemporary structures. There is a glass canopy roof. Monet received permission from the railway to paint both from inside the station concourse and outside among the tracks on the near and far sides of the bridge. • Monet explored a number of such themes with serial works such as the train stations, but also haystacks and one cathedral. • His interest in weather conditions, time of day (light) is shown in this and other images in the series. • Monet loved the steam and fog. • Often Monet would not blend colors. • Review by Georges Riviere special exhibition journal of 1877. " Around the monster, men crawl over the tracks, like pygmies at the feet of a giant ... One hears the workers; cries, the piercing whistles of the engines sending out their cries of alarm, the incessant noise of iron and the formidable and puffing breathing of the steam. One sees the grandiose and distracting movement of the station whose ground trembles at every turning of the wheel. The walkways are damp with soot, and the air is clogged with the acrid odor that comes from burning coal."

Monet, Etretat, "Seascape" as an identifier is good enough, OC 1883, 25 x 31 in

• This painting was completed out of doors (=plein air) • Another series. Come to class to see other examples of this site. • The cliff was made of chalk and was a popular site-notice the tiny figures. • Monet used unexpected colors to portray the reflection of the sunlight on the cliff. Monet tried to paint what he was seeing rather than what he knew. • Monet stated, "When you go out to paint, try to forget what objects you have before you, a tree, a house, a field or whatever. Merely think here is a little square of blue, here an oblong of pink, here a streak of yellow, and paint it just as it looks to you, the exact color and shape until it gives your own naïve impression of the scene before you." (David Bomford et. al., Art in the Making Impressionism, London, National Gallery Press, 1990. The Chu attributes the quote to Lilla Cabot Perry, 395) • Monet's comment above was a break from the academy's understanding of color that asserted that each object had a "true color" and this was the color that the artist was to give the object.

Courbet, Return from the Conference c. 1863. Oil on canvas, destroyed.

• This painting was not submitted to the official salon-although this is claimed in some of the literature. • However, Courbet submitted it to the Salon des Refuses and they also refused it as immoral and anti-clerical. • Courbet assaulted 3 institutions in his late 50s early 60s paintings: The church, the army, and the academy. • The situation did get public attention, and Courbet was pleased about this.

Turner Rain, Steam and Speed, The Great Western Railway, OC, 1844

• Transportation of goods and people speeds up. Anxiety about new modern things in the future. There is a fear factor-the sublime. • The light at the front of the train does refer to the coal-powered engine but normally it would be at the back of the engine. Makes it seem like the train is a fire-breathing dragon- this was a contemporary perception. • diagonal lines to imply movement and distance • background disrupted by fog/steam-train seems to emerge from the unknown • reduction of colors • Classical allusions, dancing ladies, romanticized vision of the rabbit being the fastest thing. Hard and slow labor is represented by the man at the plow. All the figures are so small that they are hard to see.

Cassatt, Young Girl in a Blue Armchair OC , 1878 35 1/4 x 51 1/8 in.

• Viewpoint painted low, chairs loom large as if seen from the perspective of a small person. • No overt narrative, however, used a subject that everybody knows-a sulky child. Again, a scene from daily life. • brushstroke loose • little variation of color • cropping does not frame up the scene as an academic painting would,

Cassatt, Woman and Child Driving OC 1879 35 x 51 in.

• Woman (artist's sister Lydia) and the niece of Degas out and about. • A man sits in the back seat but he is not driving. • The cropping is seemingly awkward if measured by academic standards. • Not the typical sentimental scene of "female bourgeois captivity." • No overt narrative, but it is typical of Impressionist art in the sense that it is a scene of everyday life

KUNIYOSHI, 108 Warrior Print tales, Strong Woman, Okane, of Omi Province, Subdues a wild horse

• the artist combines the warrior print with a beautiful woman. • The legendary peasant woman, who one day while carrying a load of laundry down the road say a horse that had escaped. • The grooms chased after but had not caught it. • When it passed she sticks out her geta clad foot and stomped on the reins. • the horse tries to kick her.


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