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The illustrational book exhibition “Images of a Changing World: The Art of the Japanese Engraving” from the collection of visual documents of the National Library of Belarus takes place in the Fine Arts Reading Room (room 306) from June 12 to August 25.
Japan is often called "the country of engravings", as woodcut is a traditional and favourite form of art there. The most significant are engravings made in the style of ukiyo-e, which originated at the end of the 16th century and dominated throughout the entire historical period of Edo (1603–1868), the reign of the Tokugawa dynasty.
The term "ukiyo" (a changing world) originally symbolized the mortality of earthly life or its transience. However, the meaning of the word changed many times and subsequently began to denote the world of earthly joys. A seventeenth-century writer made the following description of the movement: "living only for the moment, savouring the moon, the snow, the cherries in flower and the leaves of the maple, singing songs, drinking sake and enjoying simply floating, indifferent to the prospect of impending poverty, optimistic and carefree, like a pumpkin dragged along by the current of the river ... ”
The metaphoric world of the Japanese engraving is many-faced and diverse. Among the main genres are bijin-ga with the images of beauties from tea houses, yakusha-e that depicts actors of the Japanese traditional theater Kabuki; kate-ga pictures flowers and birds; landscapes are presented in fukei-ga, musya-e are images of famous samurais, and sumo-e are images of sumo wrestlers, etc.
The exhibition presents a variety of Japanese ukiyo-e engravings. Among them are reproductions of “The Ball Game”, “The Woman in Front of the Mirror” by K. Utamaro; pieces from the series “The Portraits of Actors of Three Edo Theaters” by T. Syaraku; “Thunderstorm” by U. Kunisada; works from the series “36 Views of Fuji”, “Wondrous Views of Famous Bridges in All the Provinces” and the famous “The Great Wave off Kanagawa” by K. Hokusai; works from the cycles “53 stations of the Tokaido”, “One Hundred Famous Views of Edo” by A. Hiroshige and much more. The reproductions of the 20th century Japanese engraving will also draw attention.
Colorful albums and illustrated encyclopedias devoted to the art of Japanese engraving, its genres and masters will be of great interest for the audience. Among them are books prepared by reputable art historians: “Japanese Engraving” by G. Far-Becker, “Japan-Europe: Dialogue in Art, Mid 16 – early 20th century" by N. Nikolaeva, “Japanese Theater Engraving of the 17–19th Centuries” by E. Serdyuk, Encyclopedia “World Art. Masters of the Japanese Engraving” compiled by I. Mosin, a fundamental publication “The Art of East Asia”, a sections of which is devoted to the art of Japan. There are catalogues of exhibitions, in particular, “Edo. The Capital and The Era: Japanese Engraving of Ukiyo-e of the 18–19th centuries from the collection of the State Hermitage", which was once exhibited in Belarus.
The Japanese engraving had a significant impact on European impressionist artists, post-impressionists, and representatives of Art Nouveau. Thanks to this, Japaneseism as a direction in the art appeared in the 19th century, based on expressive means perceived from color woodcuts of ukiyo-e. The “Japanese Bridge” and “La Japonaise” by C. Monet, “Almond Blossoms” and “The Bridge in the Rain” by Vincent van Gogh, works from the series “Mont Sainte-Victoire” by P. Cezanne, reproductions of works by the American artist D. Whistler will inspire the visitors. The works of Russian painters and graphic artists, representatives of the St. Petersburg association "World of Art" are also displayed.
Books on culture and traditions, philosophy and history, landscape gardening art and architecture of Japan complement the exhibition.
The opening hours of the exhibition correspond to the library’s opening hours.
Admission is by a library card or by the Social and Cultural Center ticket.
For more info: (8 017) 293 27 53.
Special Collections Service Department.
