木版画 Japanese woodblock print genres:
浮世絵 ukiyo-e; 新版画 shin hanga; 創作版画 sōsaku hanga
Jacoulet’s art is anchored in the ukiyo-e and shin hanga traditions—ukiyo-e being the classic Japanese woodblock print style of artists like Hokusai, and shin hanga (“new prints”) a 20th-century revival of that tradition, flourishing during Jacoulet’s lifetime. While both Jacoulet and shin hanga publishers like Watanabe Shōzaburō created prints aimed at Western collectors, their approaches diverged significantly. Watanabe’s studio favored idealized landscapes and bijin-ga (images of beauties) that romanticized traditional Japan. In contrast, Jacoulet pursued a more personal and ethnographic vision, depicting the peoples of Asia and the Pacific with psychological nuance and technical refinement. His independence from Japan’s commercial print world, along with his use of luxurious materials and meticulous craftsmanship, set his work apart as a singular blend of tradition, innovation, and cross-cultural engagement.
Introducing Japanese prints
John Fiorilla’s website Viewing Japanese Prints provides an informative and accessible entry to the world of Japanese prints. He systematically introduces the different genres that have emerged over time and explains the differences and commonalities across the types.
Click on the image, or https://www.viewingjapaneseprints.net/index.html
A 1956 doco showing the legendary shin hanga artist Kawase Hasui creating a woodblock print. Featuring the carver Kentaro Maeda, who also worked closely with Jacoulet.
42 minutes, English narration.
The driving force behind the Japanese printmaking movement known as shin hanga ("new prints"), a term he coined. A contemporary of Jacoulet, the two are a study in profound commonalities and contrasts in the world of Japanese woodblock prints.
shin hanga and sōsaku hanga
(under development)
