Ukiyo-e: Beyond the Great Wave

In this seminar we will take a closer look at the prints, paintings, and illustrated books produced in the genre known as “ukiyo-e,” the “pictures of the floating world.” We’ll begin by asking how the “Great Wave” became a global icon and we’ll bust the myth of prints being used as wrapping paper. As we learn the history of the genre, from 1600 to ca. 1850, we’ll also make critical interventions into that narrative, asking how “ukiyo-e” became a genre within a larger artistic sphere; how publishers collaborated with designers to construct artistic personae; how illustrated books contributed to knowledge formations; and how concepts of authenticity and authorship remain critical to its understanding. Taught online, this course will also consider how internet resources affect our understanding of the work of art. Students need not have any Japanese language skills but should have taken related courses in art history or East Asian Studies.