What is Ukiyo-e?

Ukiyo-e (‘pictures of the floating world’) is a Japanese art genre featuring woodblock prints and paintings of landscapes, kabuki actors, courtesans, and scenes of pleasure, flourishing from the 17th to 19th centuries. Artists like Hokusai and Hiroshige created iconic works including ‘The Great Wave’ that profoundly influenced European Impressionism and subsequent movements through Japonism. Surrealists admired ukiyo-e for its flat perspective, bold compositions, and dream-like qualities that differed from Western realist traditions. The aesthetic influence continues in contemporary Pop Surrealism and illustration.