Japonism: East Meets West in European Art

With the influx of ukiyo-e into Europe, European artists had the opportunity to encounter artworks that were markedly different from traditional styles, providing them a chance to break free from classical frameworks. These new artistic expressions swiftly influenced Western artists, particularly in composition, color schemes, flatness, and decorative elements, showcasing novel forms of representation.

In James Abbott McNeill Whistler’s 1885 “Ten O’clock Lecture,” there is evident admiration for Japanese art, illustrating the contemporary artists’ reverence for it: “We have then but to wait – until, with the mark of the Gods upon him, there comes among us, again, the chosen, who shall continue what has gone before – satisfied that even, were he never to appear, the story of the beautiful is already complete – hewn in the marbles of the Parthenon, and broidered, with the birds, upon the fan of Hokusai – at the foot of Fusihama.”

This admiration for Japanese art is further exemplified in the works of many prominent artists associated with the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist movements, such as James McNeill Whistler, Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Mary Cassatt, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Pierre Bonnard, and others. These artworks bear witness to the influence of the japonisme trend in Europe during the late 19th century.

In Manet’s “Portrait of Zola,” adorned with prints and screens on the desk, Monet’s portrayal of a “Japanese Woman” standing against a wall adorned with Japanese fans, attired in a vibrant red kimono, or in Renoir’s “Madame Georges Charpentier and Her Children,” and Whistler’s “The Princess from the Land of Porcelain,” these artworks showcase an abundance of Japanese art pieces and decorative items. Clearly, there was a prevalent inclination towards adopting Japanese lifestyle aesthetics in Europe during that period. Particularly striking is Whistler’s “Caprice in Purple and Gold: The Golden Screen,” where a European woman in a kimono is deeply engrossed in studying a set of woodblock prints by the Japanese artist Utagawa Hiroshige. The surroundings are adorned with decorative items from both Japan and China, creating an atmosphere of exotic living.

Many European painters of that time engaged in direct imitation or appropriation of works by numerous renowned Japanese ukiyo-e artists, incorporating classic figures, landscapes, and cultural artifacts into their own paintings. In Vincent van Gogh’s “Courtesan: after Eisen,” he directly borrowed the composition and pose from the work of the Japanese ukiyo-e artist Keisai Eisen, integrating them into his own artwork. Van Gogh drew inspiration from Eisen’s work featured in a special edition of “Le Paris Illustré” magazine.

In the painting “Portrait of Julian Tanguy,” Van Gogh depicted Father Julien Tanguy, incorporating various elements of Japanese culture in the background, including Mount Fuji above Tanguy’s hat, kabuki actors, cherry blossoms, and ukiyo-e prints, featuring works by prominent artists such as Keisai Eisen, Utagawa Hiroshige, and Utagawa Kunisada.

In “Bridge in the Rain: after Hiroshige” and “Flowering Plum Orchard: after Hiroshige,” Van Gogh directly emulated ukiyo-e master Hiroshige’s works, specifically “Sudden Shower over Shin-Ōhashi Bridge and Atake” and “Plum Park in Kameido,” respectively.