At College of DuPage, see a ‘Great Wave’ of Japanese art that inspired through the centuries
The art of Japan’s Edo period is undeniably beautiful, influencing creators across the centuries.
Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai is most famous for his woodblock print, “Under the Wave off Kanagawa.” He also is regarded as the father of manga, the black-and-white predecessor of anime, or Japanese animation.
Hokusai might be fascinated knowing that, even today, fans are discussing a motion picture treatment of the anime series, “Demon Slayer.”
Works by Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige and 15 of their contemporaries from 1603-1868 in Edo — present-day Tokyo — highlight a new exhibition, “Hokusai & Ukiyo-e: The Floating World, Artworks from the Chiossone Collection.”
The exhibition will open Saturday and run through Sept. 21 in the Cleve Carney Museum of Art inside the McAninch Arts Center at the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn.
It is the first United States viewing of the collection on loan from the Edoardo Chiossone Museum of Oriental Art in Genoa, Italy. There are 53 woodblock prints and original paintings, scrolls and handcrafted objects such as games, beauty products, and even a guitar restored after damage from World War II.
“To really think about that opportunity, you’re that much closer to the artists that created them,” said Justin Witte, curator of the Cleve Carney Museum of Art.
“Their color is still so rich, and they’re so intricate and beautiful that you really feel that moment captured.”
The Edo period transformed Japan, which embraced an isolationism that created a civic and cultural renaissance.
This culture, as explained on introductory panels that provide historical context, was often referred to as Ukiyo. Under Japan’s cultural enlightenment, the meaning evolved from a Buddhist leaning toward “the world of suffering” to a more pleasurable philosophy, “The Floating World.”
Ukiyo-e means “pictures of the floating world.” Through heightened use of color, detail and composition, artists such as Hokusai (1760-1849) and Hiroshige (1797-1858) were partial to scenes of everyday life — kabuki actors, courtesans, and others who frequented Edo’s pleasure districts.
“Hokusai really kind of drove that train. Before that, everyday events and the beauty of the streets of the cities were not considered worth depicting in art,” said Julia Walker, Cleve Carney Museum of Art assistant curator.
“Prior to this,” Walker added, “there would have been a lot of really beautiful nature pictures, like flowers and birds and streams, which would have been inspired by Chinese art prior to when Japan locked up its borders.”
“Under the Wave off Kanagawa,” known also as “The Great Wave” (1829-32), displayed on a deep, blue wall all by itself, depicts a frothy mountain of water threatening to swamp three fishing boats as Mt. Fuji stands in the background.
Perhaps smaller than imagined, it remains a masterpiece that anchors an exhibition offering eight other Hokusai works plus 15 by Hiroshige and more by other period artists.
“Hokusai & Ukiyo-e” also fills the McAninch Arts Center with the “Step into Edo” streetscape recreation, a children’s area with crafts such as calligraphy and origami, stations for selfies and digital Ukiyo-e creations, and a room devoted to the “Immersive History of Manga & Anime.” Outdoors is the Japanese-inspired “Great Wave Garden.”
Created by Vanessa Vu and Kevin Yu, the married team behind Chicago’s 2d Restaurant, their “Immersive History” is a striking black-and-white space — floor to ceiling, wall to wall, even furniture — where visitors can explore the evolution of manga from Hokusai’s sketches to today’s “Demon Slayer.”
“Even though we grew up in two different countries — he grew up in Taiwan, I grew up in Vietnam — we both share the love for manga,” Vu said.
“The manga in Japan,” she said, “looks like a black-and-white comic versus American, full-on stylized with color.”
In tandem with the show, through the DuPage Art Project, Naperville artist Rich Lo has created ukiyo-e landscapes based on iconic DuPage County locations. Prints of these are part of the exhibition, and the originals will appear as murals in 19 communities and the Morton Arboretum.
The exhibition will be open daily except for Mondays, with tickets ranging from $12 to $32 plus VIP options. Call (630) 942-4000.
“Plan to spend some time,” Witte said. “Don’t feel like you need to know anything before you come, and bring people of all ages to enjoy it. It’s just going to be a really great experience throughout the summer.”