The influence of 18th and 19th century Japanese art on the work of European artists is widely known but as Japanese also came into contact with European art there was also an inverted stylistic dialogue.
Persuasive Example
One such persuasive example of this is that of Géricault's The Kiss (Fig.1), and a design from a set of twelve shunga entitled Willow Storm attributed to Yanagawa Shigenobu (Fig.2). An important follower (and son-in-law) of Katsushika Hokusai, Shigenobu (1787-1832) studied the European engraving and copperplate prints brought to Japan by the Dutch traders residing on the Island of Dejima near Nagasaki.
Fig.1. The Kiss (ca.1816-1817) by Théodore Géricault. Charcoal, wash, and gouache on brown paper, 20 x 27,4 cm
Nonsensical Exchange
In his work, Shigenobu reproduces the feel of a European erotic etching from the eighteenth or nineteenth century, even though this stylistic approach is already evident in Europe during the sixteenth century in the work of Giulo Romano (ca. 1499-1546) (Fig.3). The result is a curious, yet original, scene of a Western couple (although it is also suggested that this is a satyr and a nymph) in a pose recalling the figures encountered in the oeuvre of Romano, Fragonard, or Géricault. In keeping with shunga tradition, however, Shigenobu adds dialogue, here the nonsensical exchange between the man and the woman mimics the sound of what was probably intended to be Dutch.
Fig.1a.
Supple Body
It is believed that Géricault's The Kiss dates to the artist's sojourn in Rome from 1816 to 1817. It is one of the artist's various erotic scenes from this period that depict either mythological themes or, as here, couples in intimate settings. In this work, a man embraces a woman whose body turns completely toward the viewer. Areas of intense, bright light illuminate the bed, the man's muscular torso, and the woman's supple body.
The Kiss is housed in the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, Madrid, and on their site it is described as follows:
"In the present scene, presumably set in an interior, the artist depicts a couple on a bed with large pillows and draperies that fall in swathes onto the floor. The seated man kisses and embraces a woman seen from the side, her body almost parallel to the picture plane. The artist used charcoal to define the outlines of the figures, emphasising areas such as the man’s neck, hand and leg nearest to the viewer and the woman’s waist. These strokes are more intense when they are used to construct essential areas of the bodies or shadowed areas such as the woman’s right side, her left arm and the outline of the lower part of her body. Pronounced white highlights are used to intensify the areas of light falling on the man’s torso, knee and leg and the woman’s breast. A lead-point study for this drawing is in the Musée Bonnat in Bayonne while there is a related oil in a private Swiss collection. Germain Bazin dated The Kiss to the same period as Couple embracing in the Musée du Louvre. In the present work Géricault also depicts the theme of the couple but places most emphasis on the man, who is depicted with a highly developed musculature and an almost Herculean pose. Nonetheless, he also conveys a lyrical note, conveying a sense of tender, human emotion not to be found in other similar images." (Dr. Maria del Mar Borobia Head Curator Old Master Painting)
Fig.2. Satyr and Nymph (c.1832) from the series Willow Storm (Yanagi no arashi) by Yanagawa Shigenobu
Fig.2a.
Fig.3. This image is thought to have been made by Agostino Veneziano by copying from a contemporary copy of an original edition of "I Modi" designed by Giulio Romano. Engraving paper. British Museum. Production date 1510-1520. The images in the edition of "I Modi" that he is thought to be copying from were engraved Marcantonio Raimondi.
In Premium you can find many other "A Closer Look" studies of striking erotic works of art that are not visible on the blog!
Click HERE for the aesthetic ecstasy of the neck pose by Hokusai, Seiu and Klimt
Sources: museothyssen.org, Erotic Japonisme - The Influence of Japanese Sexual Imagery on Western Art by Ricard Bru, commons.wikimedia.org
