japonisme

Japonisme refers to Western fascination with Japanese art and culture that emerged in the second half of the 19th century, following Japan's reopening to international trade in the 1850s. The term, coined by French art critic Philippe Burty in 1872, describes a broad movement across painting, printmaking, decorative arts, and fashion in which Japanese aesthetics were assimilated into European taste.

As Japan ended two centuries of isolation, ukiyo-e woodblock prints and other artifacts entered European markets, exhibitions in Paris and London showcased Japanese works, and collectors intensified interest. The visual vocabulary—bold lines, flat color, simple geometry, and subjects from daily life and nature—proved influential.

Impact on Western art: Japanese prints affected the development of Western painting and graphic design. Painters including Manet, Degas, Monet, and Cassatt incorporated cropping, asymmetry, and unorthodox viewpoints, while van Gogh actively collected ukiyo-e and absorbed its formal language.

The influence extended to poster design, ceramics, lacquerware, textiles, and furniture, and helped stimulate Art Nouveau and modern graphic aesthetics. In architecture and interior design, simpler forms and natural motifs appeared in European designs.

Legacy: Japonisme helped inaugurate a dialogue between Japanese and European art, contributing to modernist experimentation while provoking debates about cultural exchange and appropriation. The term continues to describe the diverse responses to Japanese art in the West.