The Momoyama Period : A Turning Point Between The Middle Ages

Japan’s literati paintings where inspired by China, which was only connected with Japan through Korea. One of the most famous painters of this style was Yosa Buson, using poetic ability with both haiku and his paintings. (Kleiner 1075) These changes soon led to the availability of cheap prints and ukiyo-e to depict the delights of the city. One of the most famous ukiyo-e printmakers was Suzuki Harunobu who influenced the development of polychrome prints. These prints were very sumptuous and colorful and called nishiki-e (“brocade pictures”). These prints were made of the best quality materials and costly pigments and were not very common in the Edo period. Harunobu’s genius in his work is well shown in the Evening Bell at the Clock (Fig. 34-1). This print was based on a Chinese series where the images depicted a certain time of day or time of year in the work. In Harunobu’s version, the subjects were beautiful young women and their activities in their daily lives. The two women in the pint are seen from a regular Japanese elevated point of view, with one drying herself and the other looking away at a clock. Private scenes like this were very common in ukiyo-e. Before Harunobu’s Evening Bell at the Clock, this theme was not a regular subject seen in ukiyo-e, but soon became a common sight. These prints used flatness and rich colors to

A very strong dynamic was the influence of Buddhism along with the ongoing and progressive refining of the philosophy behind the art known as Wabi-Sabi.  “Finding beauty in the imperfect and incomplete” is an attempt to capture this philosophy which is the silent message in much of the Japanese painting, architecture, and sculpture.  The simplistic beauty of the art together with the heart of Wabi-Sabi profoundly reflect the culture of the Japanese

Around the age of six years old, Hokusai began painting and even spent time as an apprentice wood-carver in his youth. He began the art of print making when he was eighteen. His most famous painting, The Great Wave, can be seen in museums all over the world even though Japan delayed it from catching on worldwide. Many believe that it was painted in the early 1800s, but Japan was not interacting culturally with other countries apart from trade with China and Korea. It wasn’t until 1859 when the Japanese were forced to open their ports that prints of The Wave spread across Europe. Originally, this piece wasn’t viewed as real art by Japanese politicians and art historians. Wood-block printing was used for commercial use and as a popular form of expression. The Japanese government wasn’t too thrilled “that such a seemingly lowbrow art form had come to define them” (15 Things). About five thousand to eight thousand prints were made but it is speculated that only a few hundreds of The Great Wave remain. The painting actually inspired music like Debussy’s La Mer.

Art by its nature is a subject of the philosophical, social, economic, political or religious context surrounding its creator. More often than not, a work of art addresses a specific topic or somewhat revolves around a particular person. Therefore, it is impossible to separate the context of a piece of painting, either historical or cultural, to its intrinsic value or the artwork's meaning. On the other hand, different cultures and time utilized specific conventions that govern the representation of objects of creativity. This essay highlights various pieces of art and their relationship to particular cultural, political, economic, or social settings. Moreover, it pinpoints how different times influence art presentation.

This was an influential import and made a huge impact on the Japanese community. There is a mixture of both drawn and photographed images within this chapter. Japanese artists mainly produced images that are printed or hand drawn, while western artists produced the photographed images. The chapter overall includes both a mixture of Japanese and western artists. The images within the chapter portray the viewpoint of the artist who was present at the time of the

• they also began settlements of their own, particularly in Rus, which would become Russia, and in the British Isles.

Art has an unforeseen control over the human mind. While media, in particularly art, was once used as an expressive outlet or served a decorative purpose, the contemporary purpose of art has shifted away from its origins. In Tetsuro Araki’s adaptation of Ryunosuke Akutagawa’s “The Hell Screen” a hierarchical division is established, placing art at the top in which society looks upward for the basis of their knowledge. Through the hierarchical atmosphere that juxtaposes art and civilians, it suggests that humans are enslaved to media when it becomes clear that societies actions and thoughts originate from The Hell Screen itself.

When Japan opened its waters backed for trade, a vast amount of influence swept the European countries. Along with the Japanese products came an influence in the art of Europe called “Japonisme”. This type of art tended to focus on the beauty of everyday life such as the focus on many of the Japanese woodblocks. The most obvious influence of Japan on European art was a painting by James Jacques Joseph Tissot called Japanese Vase. This painting perfectly emphasizes and illustrates the common indicators of Japanese influence on European art.

For over 200 years, Japan was ruled by a series of Tokugawa shoguns, which began in 1603 and ended in 1867. During the Tokugawa period, also known as The Edo period, many cultures and traditions were developed. Men and women from all social classes engaged in the traditional arts of music, painting, calligraphy and poetic forms called haiku. A famous individual known for this period is Tokugawa Iemitsu. He was the third Shogun of the Tokugawa dynasty and is well known for introducing the period of isolation in Japan.

The size of the screens produced during the Edo period varied greatly based on a patron's need. Artisans would use the technique of wrapping strips of paper horizontally from the front of one panel to the back of the next forming hinges... This process is repeated at least three times to strengthen the hinges." This gave artists both more versatility and some possible complications, since there artwork had to fill an entire screen taking into account the screen's folds. For patrons, folding screens were convenient, since they could be transported easily whenever one traveled and they took up little space when they needed to be stored. Originally, the screens could be up to eight panels in order to fill large castles in Japan. On the low

First is the Archaic period, and this one was at the time between 620 and 480 B.C. The Archaic period was after the Dark Ages and before the classical period. At this time, the Archaic period is showing the pottery and sculpture skills, which was more naturalistic and well developed on the classical Period. The written language and the knowledge were lost on the dark ages, but they were founded again on the Archaic Period. During this period of Greek art, There were two types of status, one was describing the youth called (kouroi) and the other one which was describing the maidens called (korai). (Kouros) was used to show the male figure and created in marble material. Some of these status were made larger than the human body, and the others

During the Edo period, folding screens were becoming popular in Japan as they provided privacy as well as aided in decoration. Compared to the European way of creating paintings that function as a window on the wall, folding screens function as an element of a room. Tawaraya Sotatsu was known for making beautiful screens such as Waves of Matsushima. This sceen is made of 6 panels that can be divided into complete compositions. The subject of the artwork is a pair of islands that were part of ancient Shinto shrines. 323

The Middle Ages, often referred to as the Dark Ages, was regarded to be a time of despair, disease, and death. Just as the name the “Dark Ages” suggests, this period of European history seemed to be surrounded by darkness and hopelessness. Unfortunately, the majority of people only see this side of the Middle Ages when, in fact, the Middle Ages was a much more important era. Especially during the late Middle Ages, one can find a change in orthodox social structure, political instability mostly concerned with succession to the throne, and economic changes and how those changes went hand in hand with the change in society. After certain demographical changes and turning points such as the Hundred Years’ War, Europe began to transform

Almost instantaneously recognizable, The Great Wave off Kanagawa (woodblock, 10 1/8 x 14 15/16 in, c. 1830-32), created by Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai in 1830, beautifully captures the graceful, swelling movement of a crashing tsunami. Because of the way in which line and proportion are utilized, this woodblock print gracefully portrays the sheer power of the ocean. Derived from the Edo period in nineteenth century Japan, this classic was the first of a series of works from Hokusai titled Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji, all of which effortlessly depict the mountain in a wide array of angles and scenery. Arguably, The Great Wave off Kanagawa is the most iconic and cherished piece of Japanese artwork in the world. Even more importantly, Hokusai is considered prominent father figure for both Japanese art, as well as Western modernization as a whole. The Great Wave truly displays how tiny and weak man is compared to the force of nature. Not only is The Great Wave a quintessential piece of art, but it established a piece in the comprehensive networks of art, trade, and politics, that has instilled a tremendous positive impact on the twenty first century.

A set point in the historical time line stands as the medieval period. The medieval period in history was the era in European history – from around the 5th to the 15th century, coming after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, and preceding the start of the early modern era. This historical time period has been long since been the victim of film directors and romantic novelists, which has lead to the common, but false, idea of the medieval period consisting of knights and damsels in distress, wizards and dragons, and castles and battles. Although mainly wrong in most parts and being highly historically inaccurate – some aspects of the dramatic works do play true to the original time period.