Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints

By the beginning of the twentieth century, it was assumed both in Europe and in Japan that the art of the Japanese woodblock was dead, a casualty of Japan's apparent enthusiasm for all things Western. As this volume makes clear, however, the art of the woodblock had not succumbed to Westernization, but had, rather, entered a new and modern phase. For nearly half a century, while the Japanese establishment that controlled prestigious exhibitions ignored or discredited prints, modern Japanese artists, deeply rooted in the ukiyo-e tradition, found in the old, familiar woodblock medium diverse and personal means for integrating cross-currents from East and West.

Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints is a comprehensive overview of the prints made in the early twentieth century, the artists who created them, and the unique artistic milieu in which they were produced. It examines the cultural, social, and intellectual background of these prints in greater depth and more detail than any source available in English, and explores the two main directions that the activities of modern woodblock artists took. The first direction, shin-hanga (new prints), followed the traditional path; the other, sōsaku-hanga, looked to the West for inspiration. Merritt's discussion brings into focus the area between the first group of artists, who worked within the traditional publisher-artist-artisan system used in producing ukiyo-e, and those who broke away from that system to achieve more individual expression.

The first part of Merritt's study begins with an introduction to the heritage from the ukiyo-e era. This is followed by a discussion of the effects of Western influence on modern printmaking. Part 2, devoted to shin-hanga, explores how artists worked within the traditional system, wherein the publisher orchestrated the work of artists and artisans. Because the interest of leading publishers was to appeal to Western clients, appreciators of ukiyo-e, virtually all shin-hanga produced between 1905 and the 1930s were designed for Western tastes and sold abroad. By the middle 1930s, however, the political climate in Japan was changing, and this political change was reflected, on the one hand, in a diminished interest in traditional prints abroad and, on the other hand, in an increased interest in traditional subjects among the Japanese. The result was the creation of a new kind of shin-hanga for indigenous rather than foreign consumption.

In part 3, Merritt deals with sōsaku-hanga, creative prints strongly influenced by Western ideas of individualism. Sōsaku-hanga artists, preferring to carve and print their own designs, usually spurned alliances with traditional publishers. Instead, these artists banded into local groups and formed a national print society. With little opportunity to exhibit their work, many artists contributed to small magazines or folios that were composed almost entirely of handmade prints. Publication of these, as well as limited-edition books, was a major aspect of the movement. Despite the lack of public recognition, these artists continued to work and mature. Finally, after the end of World War II, American art enthusiasts discovered their prints, and the artists, stimulated by this recognition, expanded the range and depth of their works, winning international acclaim. Merritt concludes her study with a discussion of the ending of the sōsaku-hanga movement as a unique Japanese phenomenon as Japanese printmakers gravitated to the international mainstream of modern art.