Japonisme

Generally refers to the Japanese influence on many European artists in the later part of the 19th century, as evidenced in the incorporation of Japanese designs into decorative objects, the depiction of scenes set in Japan, and the various stylistic influences of Japanese aesthetics. After a long period of isolation, Japan resumed trade with the West in 1853, and Japanese goods soon began to pour into Europe. Japanese objects were especially fashionable in Paris and London, and the term Japonisme was coined in 1872 by Parisian critic Phillippe Burty, whose vast collection of Japanese artworks drew the attention of Edgar Degas and numerous Impressionists. Japanese aesthetics, as exemplified by Ukiyo-e ("Pictures of the Floating World"), inspired asymmetric compositions, flattened modeling, calligraphic brushstrokes, pure bright colors, and the representation of transient, everyday scenes. These tendencies are visible in works of Mary Cassatt, as well as Nabis painters Pierre Bonnard and Édouard Vuillard; Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was inspired by Kabuki theatre prints, while Paul Gauguin adapted Japanese woodcut techniques. In England, James Abbott McNeill Whister was Japonisme's most vigorous proponent. The influence of Japan endured in Western art, appearing later in Art Nouveau, and then again during the move towards abstraction in the 20th century.