Summer

The Art of Asia

From The Art of Asia ' I chose the ukiyo-e , or the floating world ' collection that featured art from the Edo Period of 1615-1868 This art form grew from the patronage of the middle class , who at this time had become financially stable enough to support it . For them , this art was one of many escapes from their regimented lifestyle of rules and customs (Explore

I chose this collection due to its free flowing nature and elegant line style

One of the paintings that stood out in this

collection was Three Notable Scenes of Segawa - Left by Kiyomasu II Torii Magobe Urokgataya This woodblock clearly shows the quality of line used by the artists in this period . Each element of his clothing and body are connected as one and fitting the name of this style , he seems to float ' on the page There is a subtle hint of movement in the diagonal positioning of his arms and sword (Urogatay

Another woodblock from this set is Kanpei 's Wife Okaru by Utamaro Kitagawa . Her figure flows from head down to sweeping robe , with the same floating quality . The colors are subtle , and he makes use of bolder lines to accent her form . She is almost shapeless , with little hint of ground beneath her feet (Kitagawa . Kitagawa was considered one of the premier artists of this time period (Utamaro 's Women

From viewing these works , I discerned the wish for escape by the middle class in the floating , sweeping...