Japonisme and Manet

       Though Eduoard Manet is most famous for his influence on Impressionism, he also utilized many Japanese art techniques in his paintings. Like many other artists of the time, he became interested in Japanese art because of the opening of Japan in the 1800s, which exposed the West to Japanese styles. Soon, Japanese ceramics and other decorative items began to be imported to Europe. In 1867, an art exhibition displayed Japanese art and crafts, further acquainting Western artists with the Oriental style, and a store in France began selling Japanese art and common items. Along with many other Impressionist artists, Manet started gathering Japanese paintings and woodblocks. Besides enjoying these prints for their own sake, he adapted their art styles to his works; for example, he imitated Japanese art by using a flat, cropped composition; everyday subjects; a close point of view; and diagonal symmetry. Especially influential was the ukiyo-e Japanese woodblock style. These woodblocks would depict ordinary scenarios but in an attractive way, and Manet desired to do the same with his own paintings. Using bright colors as well as flat perspectives, he utilized these Japanese features to paint scenes that were common in France. In his art, Manet imitated and developed the Japanese techniques of untraditional points of view, simple color schemes, cropped frames, and everyday scenes.

Otsu

Utagawa Hiroshige

1840

Woodblock print; ink and color on paper

The Met JP804

Depicting a highway in Japan, Otsu is typical of ukiyo-e prints. The road went from Edo to Kyoto, and along the way travelers could buy food or other supplies from vendors. Because of the picture’s diagonal orientation and the large amount of space in the middle, the viewer’s eyes move quickly between each group of people starting with the travelers in the center. Like most ukiyo-e prints, this picture shows people carrying out common activities. In the center, a woman talks with her fellow travelers and a porter carries a bundle; to the left, a well-dressed man buys a print; towards the bottom of the frame, a crowd argues over something; and to the left, a man leads an ox behind him. The aerial viewpoint is also unusual.

The Battle of the USS “Kearsage” and the CSS “Alabama”

Edouard Manet

1864

Oil on canvas

Philadelphia Museum of Art cat. 1027

Similar to Hiroshige’s Otsu, this painting views the scene from an elevated vantage point. It also has a large amount of space to it, since the boats are off to the side or up at the top, and it does not differentiate the colors very much. This creates an effect similar to Japanese prints, which do not use extensive color schemes. Unlike ukiyo-e art, however, Manet does not use many firm outlines in his paintings, as can be seen here in the loose brushstrokes that make up the smoke.

Boating

Edouard Manet

1874

Oil on canvas

The Met 29.100.115

Boating shows how Manet combined cropping with Impressionist techniques. For example, in this picture, water fills the background; and the frame cuts out the horizon and the bottom of the boat, so that the viewer feels as if he himself sits in it with the man and woman. Similar to many ukiyo-e pictures, the figures are situated close to the viewer. Manet also imitates Japanese woodblock prints by creating a flat impression, which is achieved through the lack of shading and the soft colors; and by depicting a typical outing for upper-class Frenchmen and women. Distinct from the Japanese woodblocks, however, Manet’s Boating uses the loose brushstrokes characteristic of Impressionist artists.

Emile Zola

Edouard Manet

1868

Oil on canvas

Musée d`Orsay RF 2205

While painting a friend of his, Manet used and inserted Japanese art in his picture. Emile Zola supported Manet in his early career, even writing an article that highly praised the artist, and Manet painted this as a way of showing gratitude. The article itself is portrayed on the table in this painting. In many ways, this painting shows the shared interests of Manet and Zola, including their fascination for Japanese art. On the wall, the viewer can see a Japanese print of a sumo wrestler and at the very left of the painting is a Japanese screen. The composition itself follows the Japanese style of cropping the picture, as evidenced by only half of the screen being shown and the end of the desk being cut off.

Cats

Hokusai

1815-1865

Woodblock Print

Ronin Gallery JP1-43962

Hokusai was a very skilled Japanese artist who made paintings, book illustrations, and woodblock prints. Though he varied his style and content throughout the years, around 1815 he started making manga, which were similar to comic books and consisted of sketches of commonplace people and objects. Earlier, he had already broken from the tradition of depicting the wealthy and famous and instead focused on normal people and nature. He borrowed some techniques from the French and Dutch. Through woodblocks that made it to Europe, though, his own artwork influenced the West.

Cats

Edouard Manet

1868-69

Etching on blue laid paper

The Met 21.76.26

Hokusai’s influence can clearly be seen in this sketch by Manet. Not only did Manet use the same subject matter, he imitated Hokusai’s precise and efficient use of lines for the shapes of the cats, as well as the roundness of the cats’ bodies. Like Hokusai, Manet wanted to draw ordinary life. He found cats, such as his own which was named Zizi, interesting and enjoyable subjects to draw, and in these etchings he could imitate the Japanese art that fascinated him.