What isJaponisme?
While this approach is quintessentially characteristic of the movement, it actually has roots in Japanese prints.
Often, the viewer’s vantage point is from above and positioned at a slight angle.
Other examples feature asymmetrical perspectives and strong diagonal lines.
ClaudeMonet, “Camille Monet in Japanese Costume,” 1875 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Monet’s collection of Ukiyo-e prints at his home in Giverny, France (Photo:Dr. Avishai TeicherviaWikimedia Commons,CC BY-SA 4.0)
Claude Monet, “Water Lilies and Japanese Bridge,” 1899 (Photo: Princeton University Art Museum viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Hokusai, “Under Mannen Bridge at Fukagawa,” 1823 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Left: Edgar Degas, “Woman Combing her Hair,” 1885 (Photo:HermitageviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)Right: Hashiguchi Goyo, “Combing Hair,” 1920 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Camille Pissarro, “Boulevard Montmartre,” 1897 (Photo:HermitageviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Hiroshige, “Sugura street,” 1836 (Photo:VisipixviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Edgar Degas, “The Rehearsal Onstage,” 1874 (Photo:The Metropolitan Museum of ArtviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Suzuki Harunobu, “Woman Admiring Plum Blossoms at Night,” c. 18th century (Photo:The Metropolitan Museum of ArtviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Left: Mary Cassatt, “The Letter,” 1890–1891 (Photo: Kathleen viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)Right: Toshikata Mizuno, “After the Bath: Woman of the Kansei Era,” 1893 (Photo:The Metropolitan Museum of ArtviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Left: Mary Cassatt, “Woman Bathing,” 1890–1891 (Photo: The Met viaWikimedia CommonsviaWikimedia Commons,CC0 1.0 Public domain dedication)Right: Utagawa Hiroshige, “Moonlight View of Tsukuba with Lady on a Balcony,” c. 1850–1856 (Photo: Brooklyn Museum viaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)
Left: Edgar Degas, “In the Theater,” c. 1880s (Photo:Wikimedia CommonsviaWikimedia Commons, Public domain)Right: Toyohara Chikanobu, “Evening Bell at Asakusa,” 1888 (Photo:Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)
