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Pictures of the Floating World, Gallagher & Turner, Newcastle upon Tyne
Striking show of the glories of Japanese woodblock printing
FINE PRINTMAKING: Kunichika, Model Heroes of Magic, 1879

THE golden age of Japanese woodblock printing in the 18th and 19th centuries saw the spread of a highly populist art form, described as Ukiyo-e, “pictures of the floating world.”

Its meaning captures the fleeting, ephemeral pleasures of life — mostly for Japanese men — the theatre, beautiful women, courtesans, folklore stories and the beauty of animals, flowers and plants.

Produced in books, scrolls or as loose sheets, woodblock prints were made and circulated widely throughout Japanese society from the early 1600s right through until the mid-20th century, with some artists still operating with new styles and methods today.

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