Japanese Woodblock Prints: Artists, Publishers and Masterworks: 1680 - 1900 - Hardcover

by Andreas Marks (Author), Stephen Addiss (Foreword by)

Japanese woodblock prints, or ukiyo-e, are the most recognizable Japanese art form. Their massive popularity has spread from Japan to be embraced by a worldwide audience. Covering the period from the beginning of the Japanese woodblock print in the 1680s until the year 1900, Japanese Woodblock Prints provides a detailed survey of all the famous ukiyo-e artists, along with over 500 full-color prints.

Unlike previous examinations of this art form, Japanese Woodblock Prints includes detailed histories of the publishers of woodblock prints--who were often the driving force determining which prints, and therefore which artists, would make it into mass circulation for a chance at critical and popular success. Invaluable as a guide for ukiyo-e enthusiasts looking for detailed information about their favorite Japanese woodblock print artists and prints, it is also an ideal introduction for newcomers to the world of the woodblock print. This lavishly illustrated book will be a valued addition to the libraries of scholars, as well as the general art enthusiast.

Author Biography

Andreas Marks is the Director and Chief Curator of the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture. He has a master's degree in East Asian art history from the University of Bonn, Germany, and a Ph.D. in Japanese Studies (on a thesis on nineteenth-century actor prints) from Leiden University, the Netherlands. As a specialist in Japanese prints, he is an advisor to the San Diego Museum of Art. He has published widely in Europe, the United States, and Japan, and curated several exhibitions on various aspects of Japanese art.

Dr. Stephen Addiss is Professor of Art at the University of Richmond. He is a composer, musician, poet, painter and Japanese art historian, and is the recipient of four grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities and one from the National Endowment for the Arts. He has published thirty-six books or exhibition catalogs, including Old Taoist: The Life, Art and Poetry of Kodojin; The Resonance of the Qin in Far Eastern Art; and The Art of 20th Century Zen.