Ukiyo-e is a Japanese art style that was most popular from the 17th through the 19th centuries. The artists of this genre used woodblock prints(the images are first carved into a wooden block, leaving areas/lines at the original level which will be inked and show in the print.) and paintings of women, kabuki actors(kabuki is a form of classical japanese theatre) and sumo wrestlers. They also recreated scenes from history and folk tales, travel scenes and landscapes as well as shunga; a type of erotic art.
The 'founder' of this art style is Hishikawa Moronobu(菱川 師宣). Other famous artists are Hiroshige Utagawa (歌川 広重), Kuniyosi Utagawa (歌川 国芳), Kunisada Utagawa(歌川 国貞), Sharaku Toshusai(東洲斎 写楽) and Hokusai Katsushika (葛飾 北斎).
“Mikaeri Bijin” (見返り美人, Beauty Looking Back) - Hishikawa Moronobupainting of a kabuki actor - Sharaku Toshusai “Gaifū kaisei” (凱風快晴, Fine Wind, Clear Morning) - Hokusai Katsushika
biography of Katsushika Hokusai
Katsushika hokusai, mostly known as simply Hokusai, is one of the most famous artist of all time. He lived during the Edo period, born in October 1760, he died at 90 years old in may 1849. He is best known for his woodblock print series "Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji" that includes what could probably be considered the most famous ukiyo-e print of all time; The Great Wave off Kanagawa
He had a huge role in the development of the art style from being focused solely on portraits into broader subjects such as landscapes, plants and animals. His art is said to have influenced some of the most famous artits of all time like Vincent Van Gogh and Claude Monet. Hokusai was known for his woodblock prints, but he was also working in other mediums like painting and book illustration. During his long life, he was always working and improving his art. He published his first prints in 1779 under the name Shunrō. Kokusai was known under many names, each representing a period of his life and what kind of art he produced during that time. It was in 1800 that adopted the name Katsushika(the part of Edo where he was born) Hokusai(meaning 'north studio', an important symbol of a deity in his religion). By the end of his life, Hokusai had created over 30000 paintings, sketches, woodblock prints, and images for picture books.
