ARTH 225 - Pleasure and Design in Confinement: Japanese Prints in and after Edo

FC ARHU CD WINT

4 credits
Colorful ukiyo-e, pictures of courtesans, kabuki actors reenacting samurai epics, and landscapes of Mt. Fuji, are among the most recognizable images of Japanese art. This course explores how woodblock prints developed in the 17-18th centuries alongside the growth of Edo (modern Tokyo) and during a period of isolationism. We will track innovations in woodblock technology and how features of prints were creative responses of artists to constraints imposed by the ruling shogunate. We will begin with key social and cultural changes, examine select thematic topics and artists (e.g. Utamaro, Hokusai) and conclude with modern prints.
Prerequisites & Notes: A 100-level course in art history or East Asian Studies is strongly encouraged. This course counts towards the Japan field in the East Asian Studies major. This course counts towards the Book Studies Concentration.
This course is cross-listed with EAST 225