Japanese Prints

I purchased this book to learn more about those strange Japanese pictures that have funny looking people doing meaningless things and make little artistic "sense" to those of us weaned on Western aesthetics. And of course, I was also attracted by the bargain price. After having read through most of the book, page by page, I can say that I am very much satisfied. There are typos, as mentioned in another review, but they are very few and easily overlookable. Personally, I found the essays less helpful than the commentary. If you are totally new to the subject, the first essay is just a list of names and the second essay the author's personal experience. The commentary, on the other hand, gives you explanations of the cultural/historical background, technical details about the production and biographical details about the artists. In my opinion, that is of much greater utility to one seeking familiarity with the Japanese print. On page 36 in my edition there is an actual printing error. A line of the image, about 3mm thick is shifted to the side by a few millimeters. Also forgivable, in my opinion. The reproductions themselves are good, though after seeing more expensive museum volumes in a local library I see that this book doesn't quite offer you the level of detail that these prints deserve. What this volume does offer you, though, is the opportunity to enter the world of the ukiyo-e. If you read through the book, you can see that the Japanese print came to be as the product of the Tokugawa shogunate closing off Japan, the improvement of printing techniques and the generation of a large middle class that would buy these prints and would participate in the world they depicted. You can also see that with the Meiji restoration and the opening of Japan, new attitudes and technologies ultimately ended the print and its surrounding world. However, the principles and aesthetics showcased in these prints continue to guide Japanese film and of course, animation, until the present. In short, for anyone with the slightest interest in Japanese prints, this book is a must. And with such a low price, you can't go wrong. PS - If you are looking for books of paintings, this is not a book of paintings. I feel stupid even saying that because the title of the book is "Japanese Prints" but apparently people have been confused.

Taschen's products have always impressed me. The high quality of these art books seems incongruous with their low prices, and most of them are expertly arranged and written. But this overview of the Ukiyo-e phenomenon is especially notable: every one of the exceptional print reproductions featured in this volume is accompanied by an excellent summary of the print's characteristics, as well as the technical, cultural and commercial circumstances in which it was created. This permits the reader to not only marvel at the exquisite, lively beauty of these prints, but to also learn more about the Edo-period culture in which they were first produced and appreciated. An extensive glossary of technical terms and biographies of every artist whose works are featured here are included; in a pinch, these serve as excellent reference resources. Fahr-Becker's familiarity with Ukiyo-e is exhaustively thorough, almost intimate. If you only have enough space and money to purchase one book concerning the visual arts of the Tokugawa era, this is the one to buy.

As usual, the Taschen publishers have done a choice job of reproducing great art. The pieces are laid out harmoniously with one another as well as with the text, through and through. It is beautifully bound, and has a lovely dust cover. Prints are high quality, clear reproductions, and are primarily in color. This is important to me in a book on an artistic style, that relies heavily on color to be successful. Well worth the price, list or not.

For anyone interested in Japanese art, this is a must-have publication for your collection. This large format, coffee-table style display book allows for the prints to be large and show amazing detail. There are lots of pictures (of the prints) and the text is easy to understand. I highly recommend it...loved it! Also, it is great inspiration for those interested in Oriental Collage Art.

i love the prints that the author and editors chose to include in this book. they did not only use the famous hiroshige prints. and they did not only include recent prints. besides the beautiful reproductions, the text in this book is amazing. it gives the reader heaps of background information on the art and the culture. a great gift for anyone with a passion for japan!