‘Japonaiserie’ Begins

The Convention of Kanagawa put an end to the 200-year-old Japanese foreign policy of Seclusion. and opened trade between Japan and the West. Artists like Manet, Degas and Monet, followed by Van Gogh, began to collect the cheap colour wood-block prints called ukiyo-e prints.

Vincent and his brother Theo dealt in these prints, and they eventually amassed hundreds of them, now housed in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam.^[2]Vincent wrote to Theo from Antwerp, 28 November 1885:

“My studio’s quite tolerable, mainly because I’ve pinned a set of Japanese prints on the walls that I find very diverting. You know, those little female figures in gardens or on the shore, horsemen, flowers, gnarled thorn branches.”

Japan in Paris

In early 1886 Vincent moved to Paris to live with his brother Theo, eventually finding a small studio at the foot of the hill of Montmartre.

“Together… (Vincent and Theo) built up a sizeable collection of Japanese prints. Vincent soon began to view them as more than a pleasant curiosity. He saw the prints as an artistic example and thought they were equal to the great masterpieces of Western art history.” Van Gogh Museum

Van Gogh shared these prints with his contemporaries and organized a Japanese print exhibition in Paris in 1887.^[21

Hiroshige and Hokusai

The works of the Japanese ukiyo-e artists Hiroshige and Hokusai greatly influenced van Gogh’s subject matter and style — flat patterns of colors without shadow. In the two years from 1886 through 1888 he spent working in Paris, van Gogh explored the various genres, ultimately creating his own unique style.^[1]

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Characteristics of Ukiyo-e Woodprints

Characteristic features of ukiyo-e woodprints include:

• their ordinary subject matter
• the distinctive cropping of their compositions
• bold and assertive outlines
• absent or unusual perspective
• flat regions of uniform colour
• uniform lighting
• absence of chiaroscuro
• emphasis on decorative patterns

One or more of these features can be found in Vincent van Gogh’s paintings from his Antwerp period onwards.

Who is Julien Tanguy?

Julien Tanguy  was a Parisian paint supplier, art dealer, and supporter of the Impressionists. He was one of the first to offer van Gogh’s paintings for sale. Nicknamed Père (“Father”) Tanguy, his art supply shop was popular because of his jovial demeanor, his enthusiasm for artistry and artists, and his acceptance of paintings as payment for paints^[3][7] .Émile Bernard said that entering Tanguy’s shop in Montmartre, full of Impressionist paintings, was like “visiting a museum”.^[4

Three Portraits of Père Tanguy

Portrait of Père Tanguy, painted by Vincent van Gogh in 1887, is the last of his three paintings of Julien Tanguy. The three works demonstrate a progression in Vincent van Gogh’s artistic style after his arrival in Paris. The first painting is somber with simple composition. The second introduces van Gogh’s Japanese prints. The last and most advanced in style, skill, and color integrates Japanese, Impressionist, and other influences. This painting conveys a sense of serenity.  (wikipedia)

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Color Gymnastics

By the time Vincent arrived in Paris, Impressionists like Claude Monet and Camille Pissarro had already become successful. Their vivid use of colour and loose style of painting had a strong influence on other artists. In 1887, van Gogh began to experiment with brighter colors, such as red against green and orange against blue.^[4

The brightly colored painting and confident subject represent a shift in Vincent’s attitude.^[2][3] Van Gogh called his use of bright colors “gymnastics” that through experimentation created great depth, harmony and balance in his work.^[3][4]

Search For Serenity

The Japanese paintings represent van Gogh’s search for serenity, which he describes in a letter to his sister during this period,

“Having as much of this serenity as possible, even though one knows little – nothing – for certain, is perhaps a better remedy for all diseases than all the things that are sold at the chemist’s shop.”^[2][3]

In an effort to capture serenity in his painting, Van Gogh paints Tanguy with a calm, contemplative nature. Historian of Symbolism Naomi Maurer describes him as having the “iconic tranquility of Buddha.”^[3]

Summary: Comparing Details

The painting contains a background of van Gogh’s Japanese prints that were sold at Tanguy’s shop.^[3] On top of Tanguy’s hat is Mount Fuji;^[3][4] Kabuki actors share the wall with cherry trees in bloom.^[4] Most of the woodcuts in the painting can be readily identified and likely belonged to van Gogh’s own collection.

 

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“Vincent adopted these Japanese visual inventions

in his own work. He liked the unusual spatial effects,

the expanses of strong colour, the everyday objects

and the attention to details from nature.

And, of course, the exotic and joyful atmosphere.”

Van Gogh Museum

 

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Thanks for Visiting 🙂

~Sunnyside