Hokusai, Mount Fuji at Dawn (Red Fuji), c. early 1830sTakahashi Collection, Japan
(Source)
(Source)
I was watching the Japanese Spaghetti Western (Ramen Western?) Movie Sukiyaki Western Django the other night when a detail jumped out at me from the screen! In the opening scene where Quentin Tarantino is accosted by some Japanese cowboys, the background is a large version of this print!
From the ukiyo-e series 36 Views of Mount Fuji, the same one that includes the much more famous Great Wave off Kanagawa, Red Fuji is a woodblock print that shows the blazing red volcano against a cloudy morning. This print breaks ukiyo-e tradition in a number of ways. Firstly, landscapes were generally used as a setting for human interaction and apart from the fact there are no humans in this print, the 36 Views series clearly emphasises the mountain over the people. Secondly, the shading effect on the volcano cone created by wiping off some of the paint emphasises not only the woodgrain on the printing block, but also time of day (dawn) and act as an attempt at perspective. And lastly, there's Hokusai's use of a low viewpoint.
The last two point has got to do with the increasing Western presence in Japan in the early 1800s until the Opening of Japan in the early 1850s. High or level viewpoints were previously the norm in Japanese art with low viewpoints pretty much non-existent. Perspective in Japanese art was seen through attempts at foreshortening but ultimately lacking vanishing points and orthoganals (lines that go to the vanishing points). Given his integration of Western principles into Japanese art, it's no surprise Hokusai was a favourite in the West, particularly of the Impressionist Monet.
From the ukiyo-e series 36 Views of Mount Fuji, the same one that includes the much more famous Great Wave off Kanagawa, Red Fuji is a woodblock print that shows the blazing red volcano against a cloudy morning. This print breaks ukiyo-e tradition in a number of ways. Firstly, landscapes were generally used as a setting for human interaction and apart from the fact there are no humans in this print, the 36 Views series clearly emphasises the mountain over the people. Secondly, the shading effect on the volcano cone created by wiping off some of the paint emphasises not only the woodgrain on the printing block, but also time of day (dawn) and act as an attempt at perspective. And lastly, there's Hokusai's use of a low viewpoint.
The last two point has got to do with the increasing Western presence in Japan in the early 1800s until the Opening of Japan in the early 1850s. High or level viewpoints were previously the norm in Japanese art with low viewpoints pretty much non-existent. Perspective in Japanese art was seen through attempts at foreshortening but ultimately lacking vanishing points and orthoganals (lines that go to the vanishing points). Given his integration of Western principles into Japanese art, it's no surprise Hokusai was a favourite in the West, particularly of the Impressionist Monet.
4 comments:
But I would think that what interest the Monet/Manet and gang was the non-western elements they identified in the prints - i.e. the flatness, the way objects were framed and cut off, etc.
Callie do you just know all these facts about the paintings you choose or do you research them before you post?? So impressed!
Interesting! We sold the even rarer 'Pink Fuji' of this at our sale 5th November 2007 at Christie's for a record price :) Good description!
Flan - I decided not to talk about Japanese cropping etc because I figured this is a fairly conventional scene that would appeal to all cultures.
Vanilla Bear - It's a combination of both! I wrote an essay on Jap. prints and I had to go back and do some reading to make sure what I was writing was correct!
Emichang!!! It's great to hear from you and that you're living the dream :D
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