Ukiyo-e
浮世絵 / 17th–19th century / Style / Japanese Woodblock Prints
Fixes a passing moment of daily life or landscape into strong composition with contour, flat color and daring crops.
At a glance
Visual cues
- Clear outlines
- Flat color
- Bold cropping
- Overlapping space
Best used for
- Giving daily scenes a symbolic composition
- Showing depth by overlap instead of realism
Use this style
Take the compact brief into a project or hand the structured version to an AI tool.
Detailed guidance and sourcesProduction rules, reference works, comparisons, research and citation formats
Dictionary entry
- Type
- Brush letters or a disciplined mincho fitting the subject; no meaningless Japanese
- Composition
- Cut the foreground boldly; set a jump in scale against the distance
- Material
- Keylines and few color blocks; use the paper as one of the colors
- Caution
- Not a kit of 'Japanese-style' signs. Research the artist, carver, printer, period and subject.
- Further study
- Katsushika Hokusai / Utagawa Hiroshige / Edo-period printmaking
Related entries
- Art Nouveau (アール・ヌーヴォー)Editorially linked for a useful contrast.Compare Ukiyo-e and Art Nouveau
- Woodcut (木版画)Shared effects: Nostalgia / Exhilaration.Compare Ukiyo-e and Woodcut
Often confused with
More from Japanese Woodblock Prints
Continue through styles in the same Japanese Woodblock Prints family, prioritised by shared effects.
Browse all Japanese Woodblock Prints entries
Cite this entry
The dictionary is meant to be linked to. Take whichever form fits where you are writing.
- Link
- https://indexstyle.org/styles/ukiyo-e
- Markdown
- [Ukiyo-e — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/ukiyo-e)
- HTML
- <a href="https://indexstyle.org/styles/ukiyo-e">Ukiyo-e — IndexStyle</a>