The China Printmaking Museum has selected from its collection 90 Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock prints by 17 artists to exhibit at Jinge Art Space in Shenzhen Book City’s Longhua Store. Entry is free.
Highlighted artists of the exhibition include Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858), Tsukioka Yoshitoshi (1839-1892), Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1798-1861) and Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806).
Ukiyo-e 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 the female figure, kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers, scenes from history and folk tales, travel scenes and landscapes, flora and fauna, and erotica.
Katsushika Hokusai’s “Fine Wind, Clear Morning.” Photos courtesy of the exhibition organizer
In the early 17th century, the merchant class at the bottom of the social order benefited most from Japan’s rapid economic growth. Many indulged in the entertainments of kabuki theater, courtesans, and the geishas of the pleasure districts.
A painting by Katsushika Hokusai.
The term ukiyo (“floating world”) came to describe this hedonistic lifestyle. Printed or painted ukiyo-e images depicting 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.
At the exhibition, visitors can admire Hokusai’s pieces from his famous series “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji,” which includes the internationally iconic prints, “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa” and “Fine Wind, Clear Morning.”
Hokusai created “Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji” both as a response to a domestic travel boom and to complement a personal obsession with Mount Fuji. It was this series, specifically “The Great Wave Off Kanagawa” and “Fine Wind, Clear Morning,” that secured Hokusai’s fame both in Japan and overseas.
Dates: Until Sept. 29
Hours: 10 a.m.-10 p.m.
Booking: Follow WeChat account “longhuabookmall” to book your visit
Venue: Jinge Art Space, inside Shenzhen Book City’s Longhua Store, Longhua District (龙华区深圳书城•龙华城内金阁艺术空间)
Metro: Line 4 to Qinghu Station (清湖站), Exit D