The Orient Expressed: Japan's Influence on Western Art, 1854-1918

The Orient Expressed explores the cultural phenomenon known as Japonisme.  First identified by French art critic Philippe Burty in 1872, Japonisme became a worldwide movement that deeply impacted the visual arts in the 19th and 20th centuries.  Among the works examined are paintings and prints by Paul Gauguin, Pierre Bonnard, Mary Cassatt, William Merrit Chase, and James McNeill Whistler as well as decorative pieces by Gorham Manufacturing Compnay, Rookwood Pottery, and Tiffany and Company.  Diverse objects illustrate Japonisme's steady evolution in Western art and provide enlightening information for readers interested in this trend.

 

A team of distinguished scholars sheds new light on aspects of Japonisme, traces the chronological development, and assesses its enduring implications.  Essays consider the nature of cultural exchange and cultural appropriation, the role of gendering, the Netherlands' singular relationship with Japan, and the phenomenon's influence in Scandinavia.

 

192 pp., 178 color illus., 9 x 12 in.