How the art of Japan changed Western art in the 19th Century

The Friends of Stroud Green and Harringay Library were delighted to welcome, as one of our popular Saturday talks, artist and art historian Alison Meek on how exposure to Japanese art changed Western art and design in the 19th century.

When Commodore Perry took his 'black ships' to open up the closed society of Japan, he unwittingly opened a door through which a new aesthetic escaped to a western society bogged down in Classicism and the Gothic. Exposure to the work of Japanese artists, often through the prints used as wrapping paper for exported objects, revolutionised art in the West influencing the Impressionists, designers like Charles Rennie Mackintosh and architects such as Frank Lloyd Wright. 

In a fully illustrated talk, Alison showed the influence of Japan on artists from Manet to Klimt and how designers rejected the overwrought styles of the Victorian period to create styles that led to movements like Art Nouveau.

It was a wonderful talk and the Friends of SG&H library would like to thank Alison for her time and for giving us such a fascinating insight into Japonism and how it influenced everything from painting to teapot design.

Free Saturday talks are organised by the Friends of SG&H Library and are open to all. In June, we hope to welcome Bruce Kent who will talk about his life and work in the peace movement. Watch the events page for details of the date. All talks take place at 3pm in the upstairs room of the library on Quernmore Road