The Evolution of Japanese Art History: Edo, Meiji, and Post Meiji

Student’s Name
Professor’s Name
Course Number
Date
The Evolution of Japanese Art History
This paper’s title is an appropriate one because it looks into the growth of Art in Japan from the earliest period of Edo through to the Meiji and post-Meiji periods. The paper discusses three distinctive art pieces, one from each period, and analyzes the motivations behind them. It also identifies and explores the elements that surrounded their creation in every respective period.
Image A2
Artist’s Name: Katsushika Hokusai
Title: Ejiri in Suruga Province
Date: ca. 1830-32
Size: 25.1*37.5 cm
Medium: Woodblock print; ink and color on paper
In the image, there is a strong wind blowing. The trees and vegetation, which looks like rice plantations or grass, are swayed by the wind. People caught in the wind seem to be struggling to hold on to their hats, clothing, and other possessions. The wind has already snatched one person's hat. There are also pieces of paper being blown away by the wind and scattered to different places. In the distance is a mountain view which, despite the ferocious wind, stands still and unshaken. The artist may have used the painting to depict the helplessness of human beings against the forces of nature.
"Internal necessity" is described as a powerful driving force that impels artists to create art as a spiritual impulse, and Hokusai’s spiritual preoccupation with Mt.Fuji based on his Taoist tradition, which believed in Fuji as the source of the secret of immortality may have played a significant part in his art (Smith 10). Imagination is a vital component of art as it gives artists the space to develop their impressions and interpretations, and Smith (19) asserts that Hokusai largely relied on his imagination of Fuji, and he reconstituted its impressions in a wholly personal way.
Image B4
Artist’s Name: Ogata Gessan
Title: At the Battle of Nanshan Lieutenant Shibakawa Led His Men Holding up a Rising Sun War Fan
Date: 1904
Medium: Woodblock print
The image shown here is that of a battle scene. A soldier lies on the ground, dead or severely wounded, while a sword slays another. The man on the ground and the one with a dagger aimed at his neck appear to be on the same team because they have matching blue uniforms. The man attacking the other seems to be from an opposing team and what is notable about him is that he is holding a sword rather than a gun like the other men. In his hand is a white fan with a red circle drawn on it....