Colors in the water
Some of the most famous eras in Japanese history are those around which art revolves. The Heian period, characterized by a courtly grace and lassitude, was richest in its cultural arts and produced what is hailed as the world's first novel. The Tale of Genji, however, was able to be an especially engaging story as it has never existed as a text in isolation but was rather an artistic production of brightly-colored paper and handwriting so artfully written as to successfully convey the emotion of the narrator. The story itself is an invaluable chronicle of a court in which art and fashion were of the highest importance, color infusing meaning into every interaction with it.
A more immediately recognizable form of Japanese art is the woodblock print in its most popular iteration, ukiyo-e ('pictures of the floating world'). At its peak in the Edo period (1603-1868), ukiyo-e were inexpensive and available in large quantities, so these pictures were able to be owned by anybody who so wished. Typical subjects for ukiyo-e are beautiful views, likenesses of actors, and portraits of women - all of which necessitate high color and invoke their associations.
The art of color in Japan has never been bound to the page, however, and artistry abounds in every sphere where it can exist, where colors codify clothing and ritualize tea ware. The colors of stylistic movements pour out from screens onto boxes and furniture seamlessly.
Click below to start following the blue that manifests in different media in Japanese art, and explore its relationship to other colors and media.
