Japanese Woodblock Prints: 1680-1940

The Japanese woodblock print is a phenomenon with no Western equivalent,  one where breathtaking landscapes exist alongside blush-inducing  erotica; where demons and otherworldly creatures torment the living; and  where sumo wrestlers, kabuki actors, and courtesans are rock stars. 

From mystical mountains to snowy passes, samurai swordsmen to sex workers in shop windows, each piece is explored as a work of art in its  own right, revealing the stories and people behind the motifs. We  discover the four pillars of the woodblock print—beauties, actors,  landscapes, and bird-and-flower compositions—alongside depictions of sumo wrestlers, kabuki actors, or enticing courtesans who populated the “floating world” and whose fan bases fueled the frenzied  production of woodblock prints. We delve into the horrifying and the obscure in prints where demons, ghosts, man-eaters, and otherworldly creatures torment the living—stunning images that continue to influence  Japanese manga, film, and video games to this day. We witness how, in their incredible breadth, from everyday scenes to erotica, the martial  to the mythological, these works are united by the technical mastery and infallible eye of their creators and how, with tremendous ingenuity and tongue-in-cheek wit, publishers and artists alike fought to circumvent  government censorship. 

• Author: Andreas Marks
• Hardcover
• Publisher: Taschen, 2019
• 622 pages , 17.7" x 12.8"
• Fully illustrated throughout
• ISBN: 9783836563369