Ukiyo-e : die Kunst des japanischen Farbholzschnitts

by Nigel Cawthorne

The Art of Japanese Prints is an elegantly designed celebration of the classic Japanese art of woodblock prints. Through the 18th and 19th centuries this form dominated visual art in Japan and persists today as both a major influence on graphic art and as the traditional form of Japanese art popular in the rest of the world.

After a short introduction covering the history and technique of Japanese print making, the book features a stunning collection of beautifully reproduced examples of masterpieces of the genre together with short biographies of the artists.

Genres: Art, Nonfiction, Japan

Hardcover

First published August 1, 1997

About the author

Nigel Cawthorne is an Anglo-American writer of fiction and non-fiction, and an editor. He has written more than 80 books on a wide range of subjects and has contributed to The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph Daily Mail and The New York Times. He has appeared on television and BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

Many of Nigel Cawthorne's books are compilations of popular history, without footnotes, references or bibliographies. His own web site refers to a description of his home as a "book-writing factory" and says, "More than half my books were commissioned by publishers and packagers for a flat fee or for a for a reduced royalty".

One of his most notable works was Taking Back My Name, an autobiography of Ike Turner, with whom he spent a number of weeks working with him on, taking up residence in Turner's house. The book caused much controversy, resulting in court cases for three years following its release.

Cawthorne currently lives in Bloomsbury, London with his girlfriend and son, Colin (born 1982).

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

This brisk peek into the world of ukiyo-e prints serves as a fair introduction to the topic for the curious. While full of exquisite and well-curated prints from 17th-19th century Japan, the book is unfortunately blotted by poor, if any, textual editing, which will detract from the overall experience for many readers.

[T P Kennedy · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very cursory treatment of a larger subject. It's well presented with some nice illustrations but largely ignores twentieth century artists. Even in terms of its limited scope it doesn't succeed. There's not enough space to develop the subject matter. It also appears to be badly edited.

[Josh Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book, but I am a Japanese art nut. I love Japanese tattoos and prints, enjoying the act of Japanese printmaking myself. But this book is great because it starts out with the history of the prints. There are not a lot of works so it is a quick read with plenty of pictures to show examples of themes and particular artist's work. So after the history the book goes into themes of prints and prominant artist of the Japanese print. It also talks about thier inspiration and who they inspired. It says that Picasso was inspired by the Japanese print, and in turn the artist were inspired by him. Nice full circle there. The book does talk about some adult themes being addressed in prints, but I think if handled carefully, this is okay. You just must be willing to explain ancient Japanese culture to students. And if you are a Japanese enthusiast like myself you can do this with passion and get your point across.

[Books · Rating 2 out of 5]

While I am fascinated by Japanese woodblock printing, this book didn't appeal to me. There is a considerable focus on brothels. While I get that this was one of the subjects of woodblock printing, I felt that it just kept going on and on about it, to the point that my subject of interest, natural landscapes, was horribly neglected. After spending pages going into detail about prostitution and erotica, the author says (rather abruptly), "The Japanese have always shown a great reverence for nature" and follows this up with three very small paragraphs on the subject. There are also several typos that were somehow overlooked during the editing process. At least I now know that I want to specifically learn more about the art of Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige. Their prints truly captivated and resonated with me, and I am excited to see more.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The text could have withstood better editing than it received, and the chapter regarding the stylistic lineages of various printmakers was periodically difficult to follow. Nonetheless, an outstanding volume on the subject of Japanese printmaking, clear and accessible. In particular, the description of the travails of Yoshiwara stands out - there are relatively few books that bother to document, however lightly, the fate of women sold into prostitution under the Shogunate, and I was surprised to find such a concise but moving treatment in an otherwise unrelated text. The book is absolutely recommended to newcomers to the subject.

[Henny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty pictures, although some spelling errors in the book's text distracts from reading. But, despite all that, good for all the senses -- pictures and information abounds!