Hokusai used intense Prussian blue for dramatic effect in this print. First synthesized in Berlin in 1706, Prussian blue was introduced into Japan in 1825. Unlike the blue colors Japanese artisans traditionally derived from indigo (ai) and dayflower (aigami), Prussian blue resists fading when exposed to light. In addition, vivid green could be made by mixing yellow with Prussian blue.
The introduction of this light-stable blue pigment greatly influenced the development of landscape prints in Japan during the nineteenth century. Artists like Hokusai and Hiroshige used such bold colors for their numerous scenes of Japan, thus departing radically from the delicate palette traditionally used by ukiyo-e artists to depict courtesans and kabuki actors.
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<P>Hokusai used intense Prussian blue for dramatic effect in this print. First synthesized in Berlin in 1706, Prussian blue was introduced into Japan in 1825. Unlike the blue colors Japanese artisans traditionally derived from indigo (ai) and dayflower (aigami), Prussian blue resists fading when exposed to light. In addition, vivid green could be made by mixing yellow with Prussian blue. </P><P>The introduction of this light-stable blue pigment greatly influenced the development of landscape prints in Japan during the nineteenth century. Artists like Hokusai and Hiroshige used such bold colors for their numerous scenes of Japan, thus departing radically from the delicate palette traditionally used by ukiyo-e artists to depict courtesans and kabuki actors. </P><P></P>
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