Ukiyo-e
Also called: Ukiyo · Topic: Print Culture and the Modern World · NCERT: Class 10, Ch 5 "Print Culture and the Modern World"
Meaning
Ukiyo-e means "pictures of the floating world". These were Japanese woodblock prints showing everyday life in cities, such as people, pleasure quarters and the theatre. They flourished in Edo (now Tokyo) in the late 18th century. The prints travelled to Europe and America and changed how Western artists painted.
Example
Kitagawa Utamaro, born in Edo in 1753, was a famous ukiyo-e artist. Prints like his reached the West and influenced the painters Manet, Monet and Van Gogh.
Don't confuse with
- Diamond Sutra: a Buddhist text printed in AD 868. It was a religious book, while ukiyo-e were popular art prints about city life.