Meiji Period Prints

Japanese (1868-1912)

The Meiji Period (1868-1912) is the 45-year division of Japanese history that directly followed the Edo Period.   The Meiji Period was a time of profound transformation, during which Japan went from being virtually sealed off from outside influence to emerging as a dominant global economic power.

It was during the Meiji Period that Japanese and European art began to influence each other.  European painters such as Van Gogh and Manet collected ukiyo-e prints and cultivated an obsession with Eastern art that came to be known as Japonisme, informing a generation of Art Noveau designers with pictorial techniques borrowed from Japan.  Meanwhile, a newfound interest in Westernization and the ability to import a wider range of pigments transformed the character and quality of the Japanese prints produced during this time.

Davidson Galleries maintains a diverse inventory of Meiji prints, along with works from the earlier Edo Period and prints from the twentieth century Shin Hanga and Sosaku Hanga movements.

• Related Japanese Links: Yozo Hamaguchi, Mizuno Hidekata, Imao Keinen, Tsuchiya Kogyo, Edo Period, Shunga, Shin Hanga, Sosaku Hanga