Hokusai cover of Le Japon Artistique
The Far East has long fired the imaginations of artists. For centuries knowledge of the lands of the Orient was fragmentary and over time these places acquired a veneer of exotic mystery which attracted explorers and merchants. Eventually artists began to draw on the whatever information trickled back from the Orient as an inspiration to their work. Though many of these attempts to transmit the exotic are simply quaint exercises in superficial japonisme or chinoiserie, their influence can still be felt in the works they left behind.
Architects, composers and painters were perhaps the artists most drawn in by the possibilities represented by the Far East. Here are some examples of their work:
Chinese House, Potsdam, Germany
Pagoda, Kew Gardens, London
Poster for The Mikado by Gilbert & Sullivan
Poster to Madama Butterfly by Puccini
Poster to the Geish by Sidney Jones
The Blooming Plumtree by Van Gogh (after Hiroshige)
La Courtisane by Van Gogh
If you find yourself similarly fascinated by the cultures and lands of the Far East, browse our selection of fabrics inspired by the Orient.
Beijing Playground Fabric
Sushi Bar Fabric: Ivory
Twelve Moons Fabric: Gold
Sushi Cats Fabric
Abandoned Village Decorative: Moss
Golden Asian Letters Brocade
Asian Playground Decorative: Rose
Dragonfly Silk Brocade
