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The Floating World of Ukiyo-e: Shadows, Dreams, and Substance

Visitors to this site will see about 20 Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock prints, selected from more than 100 currently on view at the Library of Congress (LC), that were in turn culled from over 2,000 in the Library's collection. Ukiyo-e is commonly translated as "pictures of the floating world." The art form began in the Japanese city Edo in the seventeenth century. The exhibition proceeds through six sections: Early Masters, Major Genres, Images and Literary Sources, Realia and Reportage, Japan and the West, and Beyond Ukiyo-e. In Japan and West, Picture of Western Traders at Yokohama Transporting Merchandise shows sailing vessels flying American and French flags. Prints are presented as thumbnails with explanatory text within the sections; impatient visitors can also approach the show using the Object List, a simple list of every item in the exhibition, that links to the full-sized version of each print. Beyond Ukiyo-e, the last section, discusses 20th-century developments and movements in Japanese woodblock print making, and concludes with a print of LC's Jefferson Building made in 1966 by Hiratsuka Un'ichi, a Japanese artist who lived part of his life in Washington, DC.
Archived Scout Publication URL
Scout Publication
Date Issued
2001
Language
Date of Scout Publication
October 5th, 2001
Date Of Record Creation
April 7th, 2003 at 3:51pm
Date Of Record Release
April 7th, 2003 at 3:51pm
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