Japonism

​Japonism and Japanese influence 
 
In the 19th Century, obsessions with art from the previously isolated Japan swept the western world, with many seeing to collect Japanese artefacts, whether it be paintings, prints, or china pieces. Some of the earliest examples of this were samples of ukiyo-e that were to be seen in Paris. With Japanese ports opening to the global economy in 1854, and more and more Japanese prints becoming available, many artists sought to use its influence in their own work.

Gustav Klimt 

Gustav Klimt is one of the artists of the late 19th Century, early 20th Century artists that adopted some of the influence seen in Japanese works. Some examples of this are more obvious, such as in the 1918 painting 'Lady with a fan', which depicts a woman wearing a westernised take on a Kimono, wearing the garment off the shoulder as opposed to original way of wearing. Too is the Japanese influence seen in the fan she is holding, and too the patterns used being similar to Japanese artists known for their use of patterns such as Kikukawa Eizan's work. 

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Even in his earlier works, the influence of Japonism was clear. In Klimt's 1898 piece, 'Fish Blood' appears to be influenced by the bolder and cleaner line work that was seen in many ukiyo-e prints of the late 19th Century. Additionally, the simple shading of the piece, only in black and white, was reminiscent of the simple shapes and colours that was seen in many ukiyo-e of the time. 

Torii Kiyomasu, Three Pairs of Stylish Wise People: Shoehei on the Right (late 1690s- early 1720s)

Gustav Klimt, Fish Blood (1898)

​Katsukawa Shunkô, Actor with Sword (pre 1788)