日本浮世绘的正面与侧面Ukiyo-e: Front and Profile

There is no avoiding ukiyo-e when it comes to Japanese culture; one could even say that most of the symbols of Japanese culture owe their spread and popularity to ukiyo-e works. In this session we take a closer look at ukiyo-e: what exactly it is, how it developed into the form we know, and who its important artists and works are. We will also talk about some little-known details and stories on the subject. Some questions worth thinking about: Why did ukiyo-e emerge and quickly become popular during the Edo shogunate? How much was a ukiyo-e print worth back then? And how much is it worth now? Why are there so many shunga (erotic pictures) among ukiyo-e? How can you tell apart the various figures (geisha, courtesans, samurai) who appear in ukiyo-e? Why are there works in which the whole picture is just one head? Who was greater, Katsushika Hokusai or Utagawa Hiroshige? Without ukiyo-e, would there have been no Impressionism and no Debussy? Why did The Great Wave off Kanagawa become famous all over the world?