The Influence of Japanese Art on Impressionism

The Impressionists were influenced by the sudden influx of Japanese items that entered France when trade was reintroduced between the two countries. In 1867, Japan held its first arts and crafts showcase in France during the Exposition Universelle in Paris and many styles that were previously unknown in Europe became the height of style. This included using closely framed perspectives on objects or subjects, as in Japanese print work. Ukiyo-e, which loosely translates to “pictures of the floating world,” was the name for Japanese woodblock prints that were popular during the country’s Edo Period (1615-1868). They were inexpensive to make and relatively easy to reproduce, making them one of the art world’s first forms of mass-produced art. This also made ukiyo-e a natural export product to Europe.

Many of Van Gogh’s portraits used this tightly cropped layout to add emotion and style to his compositions. This perspective that became so popular in the late 1800s remains an important compositional technique in contemporary art and photography today. Van Gogh was also fond of borrowing certain textures and motifs from Japanese art. His portrait of Père Tanguy (1887) shows a European man sitting in front of a wall covered in traditional Japanese motifs.

Degas and Monet also embraced the trend. Degas’ paintings followed a common Japanese style of depicting women going about their daily lives as the main subject. While Monet’s bridge above his waterlily pond draws obvious similarities to popular Japanese woodblock prints.

Impressionism was truly a movement formed from a rebellion against the stringent directives of European artistic societies. The influence of what became known as Japonisme on the Impressionists works was not a usurpation of Japanese culture, instead, it was a transformation of the way that fine artists approached their works with respect to new influences, lending layers of depth and history to their paintings.

More than just a technique, Impressionism was a revolution, a philosophy, a movement, and a retreat from the industrialism of the age. It embraced the idea of not just painting things as they are, but how they appear to be.