I change my mind on the Japanese version it is cool also because the Japanese
version is a carved out piece of wood is a difficult to do and unique way of
using paint. This didn't occur to me before it is very impressing. The real
genus of it is that they can be hand recreated and keeps its value. They were
50 years apart and still adapted to the area it was created and appealed to the
audiences in the separate times and social settings. I think this shows that
people attraction to similar visual ascetics don't change.

I was shocked to find out that there were mass produced van Gogh paintings. Van Gogh is one of the greatest known artists of all time. To my prior knowledge, if someone told me that they owned an authentic van Gogh painting I would be greatly impressed and would automatically assume that it is worth a fortune. Even though they were mass produced, I sure that the originals are still very valuable and expensive. I always believed that the true greats of art would never mass produce a painting for two reasons. The first reason is because I always retained the notion that true artists are not nearly as interested in money as they are with there work. Money was only a tool with with was needed for them too work their magic. Concerning themselves with greed and money would take away from the purity and beauty of what they were doing. The second reason that I believed that the true greats of art would never mass produce a painting is because I believed that every piece that an artist creates is intended to be a masterpiece. Upon its completion, it is considered perfect by the artist and appears exactly as he originally intended. This perfection can and will only appear in his original. A replica may come close, but will never achieve the same perfection as the original. The discovery that both of these beliefs are false was a major shock to me.

Both of these prints look very similar, but I tend to prefer the original Hiroshige print. It does seem that the original print has a darker feel with the coloring and people hunched over in the rain. Perhaps this was a reflection on current events that were taking place in Japan; I know there was a treaty that Japan was forced to sign around these years that opened it up to foreigners, but I don't know much more about that time period in Japan. The original print seems very "traditional" looking, while van Gogh's version feels a bit more "manufactured." This could be because van Gogh's version is oil on canvas, rather than a print. I also didn't know that van Gogh was involved in the print business until Dawn Ashley told me a couple of weeks ago. I thought he was merely a painter, but upon looking at his paintings you can see the prints in the background, which is also very interesting.

Kristen Cone

I like them both, but there is something intriging about Van Gogh's. It seems to pop out at the viewer, and I find myself looking at and admiring Van Gogh's more than Hiroshige's. With that in mind, I still admire Hiroshige's verion more because of the fact that he created the original. This totally changes my view of Van Gogh. I had no idea that he was a recluse, and I always thought of Van Gogh was an original artist. Even with that in mind, I would still prefer having Van Gogh's version. I really enjoy this topic. We finally have something different to change up all of the presentations, and I'm ready for tomorrow.

When Tokugawa Ieyasu took control of Japan he closed off the country from the outside world. Edo (Tokyo) was repeatedly destroyed by fires and other natural disasters from 1600-1945. It seems that the ominous tone of the artwork can be attributed to those facts. This would be especially true for Hiroshige because he held the position of fireman for his local district. While I agree that the original work is darker, I think there is something that can be said about the rain acting as a cleansing agent. From the reading we know that this work was published as the Edo period was ending. According to artlex.com, “The late Edo period was an urban moment; Tokyo in the 18th century was the largest city in the world. Class barriers were fluid; money was new, loose, and plentiful. Downtime became a preoccupation, leisure an industry.” I can see a link between van Gogh’s work and Hiroshige’s work in the way they both place importance on expression. The quality of life for the people on the bridge is conveyed by the distortion of the piece. I had always thought that van Gogh wasn’t well known in the art world until after his death, knowing that he was involved in buying and selling prints is interesting.

I am not a fan of Oriental art. I think the straight lines are astatically displeasing. I don’t think that art should be perfect. I think are should represent something you feel or think inside yourself. The look of Hiroshige has a sad feel of real life. Like how life sucks sometimes. Van Gogh’s painting makes me feel like on a sunny day young couples where trapped on the boardwalk, but its temporary and not a big deal. I like this one much more.
Whitney

I really enjoy the change in topic. I would have to agree with yall who said that they found the first one more appeasing. I personally feel it is more realistic and optomistic, I agree with Johnko about the second one being more murky. Maybe this is relevant to the time period. I am really looking forward to hearing the discussion tomorrow from a person who knows the subject better than myself. I also feel the fact that van Gogh was a seller and trader had a part in the way he painted. It is almost an exact replica of the first one and maybe he knew from personal experience that people find Hiroshige's painting pleasing.

Kathryn Walker

Lindsey W
i have to agree with Michael, the original PRINT has a much darker feeling than Van Gogh's PAINTING...first off, these two are completely different medias. second: color in Van Gogh's painting is more versitile. Because the original was a print, it is much harder to mix and blend colors together just because of the process. but oil paintings are able to mix colors very easily. because Van Gogh could mix his colors, he could include a lot more detail and small things. I'm interested to see what we are going to talk about, just because we haven't had a topic like this one before.

I'm gonna have to disagree and say that the original has a much darker feel to it than Van Gogh's. It may be murkier, but just look at all the black colors used in the original. The sky is black, the forest is black, and even the falling rain is black. Two things might have influenced this grim painting: the time period and the culture itself. Going back over 150 years to Japan is like going to another planet. Simply put: life was tough. People still had to toil and struggle with the day to day life. This just might give us a reason for the grim colors in the portrait. Looking at it from a culutural perspective, the painting is simple, and gets it's point across succintly and efficiently, and on top of that could be reproduced in large quantities. Thus, giving us a unique look into the culture.

I like both of the paintings, but I find the original more realistic. The dark colors make it more eerie. I think this would have a greater effect on Westerner's preceptions of Japanese culture since Japan was shut off to the west. After that time of being shut off, Westerner's have a chance to get back "in-touch" with Japanese culture and have a greater appreciation for it.

Bridget

John Killough

The original painting, created by Hiroshige, is definitely a more appealing work in my opinion. The light blues and smooth transitions to the navy of the sky makes for a more peaceful painting. Van Gogh's painting seems murky and depressing with dark shades of green and blue. As far as the career of van Gogh, I knew about his ear and had viewed many of his famous paintings. However i didnt know much about his personal life or some of his activites outside of being an artist. When i considered the effects of Hiroshige's painting being released in the West, i could think of little to no effects without any other information. My guess from the painting would be that some Western civilizations might have seen the Japanese as quite primitive with wood bridges and boats. All in all the two paintings are very interesting with plenty of aspects to admire.

I really like both of these two paintings. It is obvious that Van Gogh took Hiroshige's and just modified it. Hiroshig was in the Udo period where Japanese paintings took landscapes and blocked them. It looks like Van Gogh took this painting and redid it, using water colors instead of the previous technique that Hiroshige used. It is also obvious that Van Gogh was a collector because this is almost an exact replica of the painting, with an outline put into the picture. I never knew that Van Gogh was a painter, and I thought that he was a recluse like you said. At least he could see the paintings and did not cut off his eyes like he did his ears.

Ok guys, I am going to give y'all a bit of background information as well as links to the images of the different works.

Hiroshige's: http://www.reeddesign.co.uk/hiroshige.html
This includes a little background on Hiroshige, as well as an image of the print.

van Gogh's: http://www.vangoghreproductions.com/paintings/1887-27.html
This has a little bit of information, but I will add a bit to it in my discussion.

if you guys would read this bit on info, it will help you have a little background information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukiyo-e

Some things to consider:
1: Time period in which these were made.
2: These were mass reproduced and made available to the public. This was the time when Japan was reopened to the Western world after years of being shut off to the west. Consider the effects this would have had on Westerner's perception of Japanese culture.
3: Consider the fact that van Gogh was heavily involved in buying and selling prints. How does this differ from your preconceived notions of van Gogh? Did you view him as a recluse? Does this change that idea?
4:The differences in style - which one is more pleasing aesthetically to you?

I hope this gives y'all a little to think about. Please think of questions for wednesday!
thanks guys!