#aizuri-e

[lionofchaeronea]

White Falcon in a Pine Tree, Sawa Sekkyō, ca. 1800

[arthistoryanimalia]

For #MonochromeMonday, here are two aizuri-e* prints by Utagawa Hiroshige I (Japanese, 1797–1858) from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston collection: 1. Bats and Branch 2. Cicada on a Tree Trunk Woodblock prints: blue ink on paper, vertical chûban size

*Aizuri-e (Japanese: 藍摺絵 "blue printed picture") usually refers to Japanese woodblock prints printed entirely or predominantly in blue....[Its] development was associated with the import of the pigment Prussian blue from Europe in the 1820s." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aizuri-e

[brooklynmuseum]

🔵  Here’s a little BLUESDAY inspiration from our Contemporary Art collection, currently on view in Infinite Blue.

Arlene Shechet, a ceramicist and sculptor, also creates handmade papers from abacá, a plant native to the Philippines and prized for its delicate fibers. These works simultaneously make reference to the floor plans of Buddhist shrines, Japanese aizuri-e prints, and blue-and-white porcelain. The Flow Blue series, from which this work derives, is named after a particular type of British transfer pottery popular during the early nineteenth century. Modeled after Asian blue-and-white porcelain, these wares are known for their deliberately blurred forms mimicking the marbled appearance of lapis lazuli.

Arlene Shechet (American, born 1951). Survey, 2000. Handmade abaca paper. Brooklyn Museum © artist or artist's estate

[lionofchaeronea]

Poet on White Horse Approaching a Bridge (from the series Chinese Poetry, Art, and Music), Totoya Hokkei, between 1830 and 1844

[brooklynmuseum]

🔵  Here’s a little BLUESDAY inspiration from our Asian art collection, currently on view in Infinite Blue.

The introduction of the vibrant chemical pigment “Prussian” or “Berlin” blue in 1829 changed the history of the Japanese print forever. Up until that point, plant-based blue dyes, such as dayflower and indigo, had been the only choice for printers in Japan, but those dyes tended to discolor quickly into shades of brown or green. Prussian blue, a synthetic pigment invented in Germany, is more vibrant and durable. The importation of this color expanded the realm of color possibilities for printers and allowed them greater freedom of expression.

Early excitement about Prussian blue led to a genre of all-blue or mostly blue woodblock prints called aizuri-e. Scholarly evidence suggests that the earliest aizuri-e were landscapes in a Chinese style, apparently imitating decorations found on blue-and-white porcelains. But soon this popular trend was applied to other types of prints as well. In this moment of discovery in nineteenth-century Japan, artists used a Western technology to suit and expand their own traditional practices. In turn, the resulting imagery of Japanese prints was later exported to Europe, where it had a resounding impact on Western art practices.

Utagawa Kuniyoshi (Japanese, 1797-1861). The Courtesans Usugomo, Haruka, and Yayoi of the Tamaya Teahouse, ca. 1840. Woodblock print. BrooklynMuseum

[taishou-kun]

Keisai Eisen 渓斎英泉 (1790-1878)

Courtesan Hashidate of the Ogi House, Arashiyama no sakura (Cherry blossoms from Arashiyama) from Yoshiwara Bijin (Beauties of the Yoshiwara) - Aizuri-e (printed only in shades of blue) - Japan - c. 1830

Source www.artsanddesignsjapan.com

[taishou-kun]

Utagawa Kuniyoshi 歌川 国芳 (1798-1861)

A fugiya uchi hanaougi あふぎや内花扇 (The Courtesan Hanao of Ougi-ya) - 1830-1844 - Japan

Source : World Digital Library

[tout-toutdesuite]

Utagawa Toyokuni III, Mount Fuji, aizuri-e