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- successful artists, Sugimura Jihei (active 1680-98), and the book illustrator, Sukenobu (1671-1750) [1], who depicted the life and legends of old Japan and founded his own school in Kyoto.
The next important group of ukiyo-e artists were the Kaigetsudo painters, who worked during the first two decades of the eighteenth century. The founder of the school was Kaigetsudo Ando (1671-1743), and his stu�dents used the studio name of Kaigetsudo. They included artists such as Anchi, Doshin, Doshu, Doshiu and Dohan. The Kaigetsudo artists specialized in large impressive paint�ings and prints of beautiful single standing courtesans which paid meticulous detail to Kimono designs. Prints of women came to be known as bijin-ga or �pictures of beauties.�� Kaigetsudo prints are exceptionally rare and highly prized.
Also working at this time were the masters of the Torii family, Kiyonobu (ca. 1664-1729) and Kiyomasu (ca. 1690-1720�s). Both artists were fond of depicting elegant Kabuki actors with intense and powerful facial expressions. Their prints are also characterized by vigorous swirling lines. Kiyonobu added a red colour (tan) to his prints by hand, and thistype of print became known as tan-e.
The second generation of Torii artists include Kiyotada (active ca. 1718-50), Kiyoshige (active late 1720�s to early 1740�s), Kiyotomo (active 1720-40), Kiyonobu II (active 1729-63), Kiyomasu II (active mid-1720�s-63) [2] and others. The third generation includes Torii Kiyomitsu (1735-85) and Kiyohiro (active 1750�s-60�s). Kiyohiro later began to forsake the Torii school for more fashionable styles.
Moronobu and the early Kaigetsudo and Torii schools were often referred to as the �Primi�tives,� because they used simple and primitive methods of printing. During the first half of the eighteenth century, artists began to refinetheir techniques and introduce new ideas such as the use of Western perspective. Okumura Masanobu (1686-1764) invented several new techniques, including the addition of colours such as red and green. These hand-coloured prints were known as beni-e. Toshinobu (active 1717-50) and Genroku (active 1710- 20�s), were Masanobu�s pupils. Shigenaga (d. 1756?) also experimented with new techniques such as adding touches of lacquer, metallic
2 la deuxi�me p�riode, � partir des premi�res estampes en couleur de Harunobu jusqu�� la mort d�Utamaro en 1806;
3 la troisi�me p�riode, de 1806 � 1825;
4 la quatri�me p�riode, qui marque le d�but du d�clin de /'ukiyo-e, de 1825 � 1860 (� l�exception des grandes oeuvres de Hoku�sai et de Hiroshige);
5 la cinqui�me p�riode, de 1860 jusqu�� la d�cadence de l�estampe ukiyo-e � la fin du dix-neuvi�me si�cle.
Nour pouvons retracer l��volution de ces cinq �tapes en examinant rapidement la carri�re des artistes les mieux connus.
Isawa Matabei est souvent appel� le p�re de l'ukiyo-e. Bien que Matabei et ses �pigones imm�diats n�aient jamais fait d�estampes, c�est lui qui a �t� � l�origine d�un style de peinture du nom d'ukiyo-e qui s�est r�pandu au dix- septi�me si�cle. Matabei a �tudi� les �coles Tosa et Kano et a mis au point son propre style r�aliste qui repr�sentait des sc�nes tir�es de la litt�rature classique et de son exp�rience quotidienne.
Les premiers artistes � appliquer le nouveau style ukiyo-e au processus xylographique �taient Hishikawa Moronobu (mort en 1694) et le ma�tre de Kambun (un surnom donn� par Richard Lane au mentor anonyme de Moro�nobu qui a oeuvr� entre 1661 et 1673). Le ma�tre de Kambun n�a jamais sign� d�oeuvres, et on a souvent pens� que ses estampes �taient le travail de jeunesse de Moronobu lui- m�me. Cependant, il semble y avoir un certain fondement � la croyance qu�un tel ma�tre ait vraiment exist�.
Dans le pass�, c��tait � Moronobu qu�on attribuait habituellement la production de la premi�re estampe ukiyo-e. On le surnomme parfois le fondateur de l'ukiyo-e parce que c�est lui qui a cr�� l��cole ukiyo-e en consoli�dant les divers styles de peinture de genre. Ses compositions superbes et ses traits de pinceau simples mais contr�l�s convenaient parfaitement � la gravure sur bois, et il a r�alis� l�exploit de tirer pour la premi�re fois un grand nombre d�estampes en noir et blanc � bas prix. On appelle ces estampes sumizuri-e, c�est-�- dire, �image imprim�e en noir.�
Moronobu cherchait dans les �v�nements mouvement�s du quartier du Yoshiwara � Tokyo un mat�riel piquant qu�il pouvait
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