Japonisme: Western Appreciation and Appropriation
After Japan expanded several ports to trade and commerce by Western powers in the 1850s, Western appreciation of Japanese art quickly followed. In 1872, French collector and printmaker Philippe Burty coined the term Japonisme, which came to describe the work of Western artists influenced by Japanese aesthetics and subject matter. Notable American practitioners included Bertha Lum, who studied in Tokyo with master block cutter Bonkotsu Igami (1875–1933) during an extended visit to Japan in 1907.
After Japan expanded several ports to trade and commerce by Western powers in the 1850s, Western appreciation of Japanese art quickly followed. In 1872, French collector and printmaker Philippe Burty coined the term <em>Japonisme</em>, which came to describe the work of Western artists influenced by Japanese aesthetics and subject matter. Notable American practitioners included Bertha Lum, who studied in Tokyo with master block cutter Bonkotsu Igami (1875–1933) during an extended visit to Japan in 1907.