The introduction by Lawrence Smith gives a concise history of the medium since 1912, charting the two 'golden ages' (1915-40 and 1950-75) and the assimilation of new international techniques and styles. The book also contains biographies of all the 78 artists illustrated, a comprehensive bibliography and a glossary of Japanese terms.

"The revival of the woodblock printing tradition stands out as one of the most remarkable aspects of the complex history of Japanese art in the 20th century. This catalogue illustrates 140 of the modern Japanese prints in the British Museum's collection, probably the most comprehensive outside Japan itself. All schools and styles are covered, and every important artist working in the woodblock medium represented. Technique and imagination in the use of polychrome woodblock link these artists to their predecessors of the famous Ukiyo-e school in the 18th and 19th centuries and, like the closely related stencil-print artists also included in this book, most of them are great and individual colorists." "The introduction by Lawrence Smith gives a concise history of the medium since 1912, charting the two 'golden ages' (1915-40 and 1950-75) and the assimilation of new international techniques and styles. The book also contains biographies of all the 78 artists illustrated, a comprehensive bibliography and a glossary of Japanese terms."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

The introduction by Lawrence Smith gives a concise history of the medium since 1912, charting the two 'golden ages' (1915-40 and 1950-75) and the assimilation of new international techniques and styles. The book also contains biographies of all the 78 artists illustrated, a comprehensive bibliography and a glossary of Japanese terms.

"[An] impressive volume, with a valuable amount of information not otherwise available in one source." --Choice Companion volume to Merritt's Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints. This volume is a reference work that is both comprehensive and rigorously chronological.

What is Japanese art? This book supplies an answer that gives a reader both a true picture and a fine understanding of Japanese art. Arranged thematically, the book includes chapters on nature and pleasure, landscape and beauty, all framed by themes of serenity and turmoil, the two poles of Japanese culture ancient and modern.

Collecting Modern Japanese Prints is an authoritative guide to the contemporary Japanese art form of printmaking Authors, Mary and Norman Tolman have been involved with modern Japanese prints on every level for the past thirty years. They number among their close friends a great many contemporary Japanese printmakers. This Japanese print book contains several bodies of information. An introductory essay puts Japanese prints into historical perspective and gives a brief outline of techniques. All of the prints are in full color, in as large a format as possible, so that the art lover can savor the details of each work.

Folk art is now widely recognized as an integral part of the modern Chinese cultural heritage, but in the early twentieth century, awareness of folk art as a distinct category in the visual arts was new. Internationally, intellectuals in different countries used folk arts to affirm national identity and cultural continuity in the midst of the changes of the modern era. In China, artists, critics and educators likewise saw folk art as a potentially valuable resource: perhaps it could be a fresh source of cultural inspiration and energy, representing the authentic voice of the people in contrast to what could be seen as the limited and elitist classical tradition. At the same time, many Chinese intellectuals also saw folk art as a problem: they believed that folk art, as it was, promoted superstitious and backward ideas that were incompatible with modernization and progress. In either case, folk art was too important to be left in the hands of the folk: educated artists and researchers felt a responsibility intervene, to reform folk art and create new popular art forms that would better serve the needs of the modern nation. In the early 1930s, folk art began to figure in the debates on social role of art and artists that were waged in the pages of the Chinese press, the first major exhibition of folk art was held in Hangzhou, and the new print movement claimed the print as a popular artistic medium while, for the most part, declaring its distance from contemporary folk printmaking practices. During the war against Japan, from 1937 to 1945, educated artists deployed imagery and styles drawn from folk art in morale-boosting propaganda images, but worried that this work fell short of true artistic accomplishment and pandering to outmoded tastes. The questions raised in interaction with folk art during this pivotal period, questions about heritage, about the social position of art, and the exercise of cultural authority continue to resonate into the present day.