The Effects of Japonisme on the 19 Century

Mary Cassatt and Edgar Degas were greatly influenced by Japanese print makers and by each other. Instead of merely depicting women in Japanese garb, Cassatt and Degas absorbed characteristics and techniques of Japanese printmakers like Kitagawa Utamaro for their own artistic purposes. The use of a woman or maternal figure, flat rendering, color palette, elongated canvases and printing surfaces, and unusual perspectives were all aspects of Japanese art that the Impressionists adopted for their own creative purposes. The effects of the Japonisme movement, combined with Degas and Cassatt’s adaptation of Japanese principles, prompt discussion about the image of a modern-day woman in the 19^th century – and the differences between their ideals. Even though some of these pieces were made nearly 100 years apart, they still inform each other through their similarity in concept, subject matter, and composition. These pieces encourage the viewer to understand the connections between the work of Japanese printmakers and that of the Impressionists, as well as collectively spark discussion about how perspectives can be altered by culture and gender influences.  

“Mother and Child”

Kitagawa Utamaro

1793

Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper

JP1526

Utamaro gives us a different, humorous take on what one would likely assume to be a classic portrait about the intimate bond between mother and child. Rather, a mother sticks her tongue out at her child, which we can observe through her reflection in the mirror. As the baby reaches up towards its mother, a woman behind the screen laughs and grabs the baby by the belt. While this print is unusual in nature, its neutral color palette and striking patterns exemplify the prominent aspects of a Japanese print that some Impressionists later replicate in their own works. The use of a mirror slightly extends the confining space of the flat print and is a reoccurring theme in both Japanese and Impressionist works. The screen that juts out into the middle of the space creates the main source of perspective and serves as another signifier of traditional Japanese prints.

 “Woman Bathing (La Toilette)”

Mary Cassatt

1890-91

Drypoint and aquatint, printed in color from three plates; fourth state of four

16.2.2

“Woman Bathing” showcases Mary Cassatt’s mastery over more than just the paintbrush. Tired of the traditional Impressionist approach of painting, Cassatt drew inspiration from Japanese printmaking, a style rapidly increasing in popularity due to trade expansion and a heightened interest in foreign culture. Upon seeing the back of the bathing woman, Degas, Cassatt’s friend and fellow artist, exclaimed “I do not admit that a woman can draw like that." Cassatt’s decision to flatly render, starkly contrast patterns, and use a mirror’s reflection to alter the space of the room result in a piece that successfully nods to a traditional print. One of ten prints in Cassatt’s series about the role of a modern woman in society, this print uses aspects of a different culture to question the legitimacy of set standards in her own culture and whether they should be blindly accepted.

“At The Milliner’s”

Edgar Degas

1882

Pastel on pale gray wove paper, laid down on silk bolting

29.100.38

Degas reiterates several of the same themes Utamaro exhibits in “Mother and Child.” The fight for attention between the customer, the mirror she’s gazing into, and the milliner behind the mirror creates the tension that draws our eyes back and forth across the piece. Degas hardly renders the drawing, but instead heavily depends upon flat color – an obvious signifier of influence from print. The baseboard of the wall travels back into the drawing and out of sight, working to shape the same unusual sense of space found in Utamaro’s print. Degas’ piece also contributes to the conversation about the ideal of the modern woman. Mary Cassatt herself modeled as the customer for this drawing, which places her as a representative of the ideal woman she so often portrays in her own artwork.

“Midnight: Mother and Sleepy Child”

Kitagawa Utamaro

1790

Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper

JP1278

Kitagawa Utamaro captures the sacred bond between mother and child in this print from the larger series “Fuzoku Bijin Tokei,” which explores the daily rituals of women in Japanese culture. The two flat, floating figures decorated with elegant patterns immerge against the negative space in the background. The arched back of the mother and reclined position of her child form an implied visual path that is very pleasing for the eyes to follow. “Midnight: Mother and Sleepy Child” and the rest of Utamaro’s collection of prints start a conversation about the ideal woman that would certainly influence Cassatt’s print series to come.

“Maternal Caress”

Mary Cassatt

Drypoint, aquatint and softground etching, printed in color from three plates

1890-91

16.2.5

From the same ten print collection as “Woman Bathing (La Toilette),” Cassatt’s print “Maternal Caress” depicts a loving mother cradling her child in a flowery armchair amidst a bedroom that looks like orange spice tea tastes. This print bears a strong resemblance to Utamaro’s “Midnight: Mother and Sleepy Child;” from the soft orange and yellow hues to the folds of the mothers’ garments that warmly swaddle their children, these prints resemble each other in color, concept, and placement of subject. Cassatt demonstrates her infatuation with the maternal instinct of a woman, as well as the role of the modern woman in the 19^th century in both this print series and several of her paintings. This series continues the conversation about the ideal woman Utamaro’s print collection started 100 years prior, and they agree upon universal idea of the mother as a nurturer.

“Moon Viewing Point”

Utagawa Hiroshige

1857

Polychrome woodblock print; ink and color on paper

JP1185

Utagawa Hiroshige’s print “Moon Viewing Point” creates an incredibly distinct perspective due to the angles at which the tiles of the green floor extend back into space. While the print itself shows few signs of rendering, the angles add depth to the image without using value to do so. Hiroshige crafted this print nearly 70 years after Utamaro’s prints, and the more vibrant, stylized color and developed sense of space is evident. However, he still remains true to his roots with by maintaining a central emphasis on line in this still flat and graphic space.

 “Dancers, Pink and Green”

Edgar Degas

1890

Oil on canvas
29.100.42

     Edgar Degas is well-renowned for his portraits of dancers. He paints them so often because he relates their practice and dedication to dance to the countless hours he puts into his own craft. Although our culture today considers ballet a high art, it was not so during Degas’ time; dancers held little value in society and were often mistreated or encountered other unfortunate circumstances. The creeping silhouette of the man in a top hat makes this reality evident to the viewer, as well as makes a statement about the value of these women to society and possibly even to Degas at the time. Degas’s paintings never have much value; like the Japanese artists that influenced him, the figures in “Dancers, Pink and Green” are fairly flat, and the angles of the grassy ground retract into the background of his painting to create an odd perspective. 

“Mother and Child (The Oval Mirror)”

Mary Cassatt

1899

Oil on canvas

29.100.47

        Mary Cassatt builds upon the foundation her prints formed with her later painting “Mother and Child (The Oval Mirror).” This portrait embodies the concepts she dwelt upon in her print series by including a rounded mirror and a counter-top that recedes into the background. Most importantly, Cassatt emphasizes the power of the bond between mother and child. The viewer’s eyes follow the arms of both figures as they wrap around each other, and the mirror frames their heads so that the painting strongly resembles that of a classic Madonna portrait. Through drawing parallels between the image of mother and child and a Madonna likeness, Cassatt paints a redemptive version of the modern woman that has value where it was previously lacking.