Painting the Floating World

From the 17th through the 19th century, artists in Kyoto and Edo (now Tokyo) captured the metropolitan amusements of the floating world (ukiyo in Japanese) through depictions of subjects such as the beautiful women of the Yoshiwara pleasure quarters and performers of the kabuki theater. In contrast to ukiyo-e prints by artists such as Katsushika Hokusai, which were widely circulated, ukiyo-e paintings were specially commissioned, unique objects that displayed the maker’s technical skill and individual artistic sensibility.
 
Featuring more than 150 works from the celebrated Weston Collection, the most comprehensive of its kind in private hands and published here for the first time in English, this lavishly illustrated and meticulously researched volume addresses the genre of ukiyo-e painting in all its complexity. Individual essays explore topics such as shunga (erotica), mitate-e (images that parody or transform a well-known story or legend), and poetic inscriptions, revealing the crucial role that ukiyo-e painting played in a sophisticated urban culture.

Din secolul al XVII-lea pana in secolul al XIX-lea, artistii din Kyoto si Edo (acum Tokyo) au surprins distractiile metropolitane ale lumii plutitoare (ukiyo in japoneza) prin descrieri de subiecte precum femeile frumoase din cartierele de agrement Yoshiwara si interpretele teatrului kabuki . Spre deosebire de tipariturile ukiyo-e ale unor artisti precum Katsushika Hokusai, care au fost vehiculate pe scara larga, picturile ukiyo-e au fost comandate special, obiecte unice care afisau abilitatea tehnica a producatorului si sensibilitatea artistica individuala.