Japanese Woodblock Print

Celebrated for their expressive and organic qualities of woodcut and distinctive aesthetic, Japanese woodblock print represents the spirit of ukiyo-e, or “pictures of the floating world,” a genre capturing the ephemeral pleasures of everyday life, popular in Japan during the Edo period (1603 – 1868). The carefully curated collection of the 17th-19th century original Japanese print for sale on Bidsquare antique auctions features an extensive selection of prints and includes works by Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige, Andō Hiroshige, Kitagawa Utamaro, Kikugawa Eizan, and other masters of the Japanese art. 

Using vivid colors and bold lines, these highly collectible, and beautiful prints depicted the transitory world of seductive courtesans and the beautiful Kabuki actors of the urban pleasure districts. With time, this highly populist art expanded to include the enjoyment of the natural world and dramatic historical events. 

History of Antique Japanese Woodblock Print     

While the Buddhist term ukiyo expressed the melancholy transience of life, the concept gradually shifted its reference to the world of sensual and hedonistic pleasures during the 17th century.  Initially, the woodblock printing process began with simple black and white prints with occasional hand tint to reproduce hand-painted scrolls and screens of everyday life. But by the mid 19th century, the talent and innovation of Japanese artists, and innovations in printers’ art led to the creation of color print art of breathtaking beauty and technical merit. Woodblock printing continued as a preferred and popular method of practice in the ukiyo-e genre for decades.  Artists like Andō Hiroshige, Kitagawa Utamaro, and Katsushika Hokusai are in the pantheon of Japanese masters who helped elevate the style to world-class works of art today.

These highly collectible, and beautiful Japanese woodblock prints for Sale have attracted collectors and bidders alike, and have delivered consistently impressive sales results on Bidsquare online auction. 

Quick Facts about Japanese Woodblock Print

• In the Well of the Great Wave off Kanagawa by Katsushika Hokusai is probably the best known Japanese work of art to set a world auction record for a Japanese woodblock print. 
• During the 19th century, Japanese woodblock prints also became popular in Europe, trending as “Japonisme”, and have inspired many famous artists such as Van Gogh, Monet, Henri Toulouse-Lautre, and Whistler.