Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through the 19th centuries. It’s artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales;travel scenes and landscapes; flora and fauna; and erotica. The term ukiyo-e translates as “pictures of the floating world”.
Ukiyo-e artists like Hokusai and Utamaro managed to present things in a very concise way. Their work shares similarities with modern vector pieces in terms of solid areas of colour hemmed in by uniform lines. The style of work speaks to me primarily because of the subject matter. They portrayed Kabuki and sumo stars of the day and sold prints for affordable prices, much like the football art trend.
I’d wanted to draw a portrait in this style for months. I felt like I could elongate features and add a weird elegance to whoever I drew. So I used Virgil Van Dijk.
