10 Appealing Japanese Shunga Woodblock Prints By: Artscene | - Shunga, literally "Images of Spring", is the generic term used to describe erotic prints, books, scrolls and paintings of Japan.
As a dealer of Japanese woodblock prints and shunga in particular I have come accross numerous striking and evocative designs. The following 10 shunga designs appeal to me and are in no typical order. These prints I saw in books, on auctions and in private collections.
Suppressed Themes In The Woodblock Art Of Shunga By: Artscene | - Shunga, literally "Images of Spring", is the generic term used to describe erotic prints, books, scrolls and paintings of Japan.
Prudery
Only recently (1990s) the study of shunga images depicting male-male and female-female acts of love have been commenced. This belated research of this "hidden domain" was caused by the official censorship in Japan and also because of the unease and prudery concerning the specific subject-matter in the past.
Isoda Koryusai (c.1735-90) originally a samurai became, after the death of his master, the lord of Tsuchiya, a so-called r'nin (a lordless knight) and a 'floating man'. Most of these 'floating people' ended up in low water but Koryusai chose to be a painter and a designer of woodblock prints. At first he was most probably a student of Nishimura Shigenaga (1697-1756) but his friend and Ukiyo-e master Harunobu (c.1725-1770) had the greatest influence on his work. It wa ... Tags:koryusai, harunobu, kiyonaga, erotic, utamaro, shunga, hokusai
The beginning of the shunga genre is connected with the origins of Ukiyo-e ('Images of the floating world') and starts with the work of Hishikawa Moronobu and his school between 1660-1670. Originally shunga were published as erotic manuals (guides) for the most popular courtesans in houses of pleasure. But with the growth of pro ... Tags:shunga, hokusai, utamaro, japanese woodblock print, ukiyo-e, edo
