Japanese Prints, the exhibition : Ressource du site L'estampe japonaise. Images d'un monde éphémère

Ukiyo-e is the image of a floating and fleeting world. This was the name given to Japanese printmaking at the end of the seventeenth century. The passing world of time, the world of the pleasures of gallant society of Edo (Tokyo), is the essential theme behind this art of printmaking. There are scenes of shows, portraits of women, parodies, scenery – the site offers a comprehensive vision of this fleeting art, intimately linking realism and spirituality and the detailed exploration of the works of great masters such as Hokusai and Hiroshige. There are close-ups on two full works: the Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji by Hokusai and the Fifty-three stations of the Tokaido by Hiroshige. They are in album form so that one can roam from page to page right down to the smallest detail. A guided tour provided by the curator of the exhibition is available for download on mp3. On the site, one can listen to the commentary while exploring the exhibited works down to the smallest detail. Finally, a history of the collection of Japanese prints kept at the Bibliothèque nationale de France, references on the techniques of printmaking, as well as a contemporary view provided by the photographer Thierry Girard with his version of the path of the Tokaido, all add to this site, which boasts more than three hundred works reproduced online. The site has an educational focus, the erotic prints are just touched upon