The Floating World And Urban Culture In Edo, Japan

Your Name Your institution of Affiliation Professor’s Name April 13, 2018 The Floating World and Urban Culture in Edo, Japan The repertoire of the Floating world (aka ukiyo-e) characterizes the time of Japanese art when it was still separate from the rest of the world. Specifically, it was born out of the Edo period when the metropolitan culture of the city of Tokyo when the Shoguns held immense power. Nevertheless, since the floating world was conceived within the city of Tokyo the arts which it produces usually serve as advertisements for the people. Thus, a closer inspection of it would show that some of the dominant objects portrayed include the restaurants, teahouses, geishas, and theaters among others. However, by tracing its origins a lot further, it could be seen that the focus of the ukiyo-e would emerge with the previous of the traditions of different art schools such as the Kanō school of painting, which uses both monochromatic ink and wash paintings. This would then outline the origins of the tradition, as the earliest proponents are said to come from the field of Japanese painting.[Library of Congress. The Floating World of Ukiyo-E. n.d. Web. 19 April 2018.] The thematic pattern as discussed above could be seen in the works of the prominent artists of the time. Some examples include Utamaro and Sharaku, which were hired by individuals and even institutions to create advertisements for them. Their works are mostly focused on creating portraits of beautiful actors in theatre performances. In the following period, the dominant theme would change, despite still focusing on the urban landscape. Some of the testaments of these shift in perspective include Hokusai and Hiroshige, who created the Great Wave off Kanagawa and The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō. Both of these art portrays themes like formalism. Su...