Utamaro, Hokusai, Hiroshige Geisha
The ukiyo-e masters are brought together in a volume that illustrates Japan’s “floating world” between the 17th and 19th century.
The so-called Edo period (1603–1868) was extremely productive for Japan from a historical and artistic standpoint; later its influence would extend beyond the archipelago, as far as the West, where it gave rise to a real passion for Japanese aesthetics and culture. The term ukiyo-e, which translates as “pictures of a floating world,” refers to the woodblock colour prints that were first created in the Edo period by combining the talents of painters like Utamaro, Hokusai, and Hiroshige with the absolute mastery of block carvers and printers. These prints are the highest aesthetic expression of what could be called a “culture of pleasure,” pervaded by the awareness that the beauties of life must be enjoyed to the full because they are bound to end. The book offers a chance to discover the world of Japanese ukiyo-e prints through over 300 works by some of the most important artists, and the themes that characterize them: from elegant female beauties to delicate flowers and birds, famous kabuki actors, valiant samurai, and even erotic subjects with their insouciant celebration of love.
Skira is a world-leading art publisher. We embody the very highest visual and academic standards in our work. We cover the entire history of art and we push the boundaries of what art means. We are not just a publishing house – we are a world authority on the arts. But something else has made us the go-to space for lovers of culture and it has given us an innate ability to attract generations of artists and gallery owners to tell their stories and showcase their work. This something else is Albert Skira himself. He founded Skira in 1928. It was a time of great societal upheaval, the height of classical modernity, a period of political extremes and psychoanalysis. His inaugural publications were Picasso, Ovid and Surrealism. For Albert Skira, the ambition of art was to elucidate its own mystery. This is Skira. Skira is the excitement of a leap into the unknown. Skira creates space for the emergence of originality by questioning assumed truths. Skira embodies the perpetual change of art. Skira is the spirit of learning without limits. Skira is a world-leading publisher of the arts because, like an artist, it ventures to look where nobody has ever looked before.
Format: Hardback
Number of pages: 368
Language: English
Dimensions: 24 x 30.5 cm
Publication date: 6 Feb. 2024
ISBN: 9788857249971
Orders ship within 1–2 business days.
Greece via ACS: Attica 1–2 days, mainland Greece 1–3 days, islands and remote areas up to 5 days.
International via UPS: EU 2–7 days with UPS Standard; other destinations 1–5 days with UPS Express Saver.
Shipping is calculated at checkout. Free standard shipping applies over €80 in Greece and over €150 in the EU. Non-EU import duties and taxes are payable by the recipient.
Free store pickup is ready within 1–2 business days. Please wait for your confirmation email before collection.