Category: IDES 141

Meiji and Taisho

During the Meiji and Taisho era of Japan, the country just opened after closing its borders for centuries. There was trading was prominent, and art culture was exchanged as well. We can see Japanese Art being a strong influence on Western painting around this era. Western people brought their latest technology over as well, which was photography. During the time it was brought over, it was still presented in black and white, so there was a strong desire to see it in colour.

Hand-painted photographs

The Japanese had their own technique, which was different from the Western style. The most distinct difference would be the watercolour technique the Japanese used that made people more lifelike compared to looking like a painting. The Japanese had an idea to photograph daily life, hand-painted them, and sold them to curious tourists – which they did and it was a lucrative business. This was most likely the first instance of commercial photography.

Notable people

Uchida Kuichi was one of the pioneers of this form of commerce. He staged everyday life and even borrowed old costumes such as samurai armour. Samurais were defunct during the time the photos were taken. He understood that there was a market and demand for these photos. He was also the only person to be granted a sitting by Emperor Meiji to have his photo taken by Uchida. Emperor Meiji was considered a deity and was rarely seen in public.

Kusakabe Kimbei was also one of the prominent figures in commercial art as he owned one of the leading studios that were supplying Japanese art to Western people. Most of the photographs and catalogues featured Japanese women, which were popular with tourists.

Marketing

There was controversy over Japan’s first nude image used for an advertisement. It was an advertisement for Suntory’s Akadama Port Wine. The woman in the poster was a stage actress who was later shunned by her family, as they were ashamed of her. However, this poster was effective as it sold so much that it turned Suntory from a failing business to one that still stands to this day. The poster won first place in the Germany World Poster contest.

Conclusion

Today, there is an abundance of photography in the commercial world. As technology advances, it becomes faster to produce photography than illustrations. It was fascinating to research about the tipping point at the beginning of photography and when painters were still abundant. It was magical to watch the two mediums merge.

Reference

Philbert Ono. “Japan’s First Nude Poster.” PhotoGuide Japan Blog, 19 Apr. 2018, https://photojpn.org/news/2018/04/japans-first-nude-poster/.

Cade, DL. “How Hand-Painted Photographs Helped Introduce Japan to the World.” PetaPixel, 23 Aug. 2022, https://petapixel.com/2020/10/08/how-hand-painted-photographs-helped-introduce-japan-to-the-world/.

“Japanese Advertising History Taisho Period: Exhibitions: The Ad Museum Tokyo.” Japanese Advertising History Taisho Period | Exhibitions | The Ad Museum Tokyo, https://www.admt.jp/en/exhibition/jp_ad_history/taisho/.

Since the invention of the poster, it has been a consistent form of presentation for designers and illustrators alike. With its versatile purpose, its longevity is undoubted and it has been around since the mid-1500s when the printing press was invented. Before, there could only be one copy of the information and had to be placed in a common place for the word to be spread. Now, posters are being put up everywhere, it was so much to the point where the placement of posters had to be restricted.

Advertising

Living in a capitalistic society, one of the first uses of posters was to advertise. Clubs that needed promotion, and products that needed to sell; there was a high demand for posters once lithography was introduced to the public. At first, the lithographers and printers were in charge of the posters. However, the demand for quality grew exponentially and being unable to keep up with the requests, thus designers and illustrators were called into the market. Later on during the Civil War, there was increased use of advertising posters. This happened due to the rise of consumerism as women worked in the factories while the men were at war, and with no time to make their own products and household goods, many of them turned to rely on companies mass producing these goods.

Political, Social Commentary, and Propaganda

Another use of posters would be to simply send a message. During the World War, there was a heightened use of posters meant for propaganda purposes, to recruit people to join the army, and to remind citizens to stay loyal to the country. To fight back, there would be posters meant to incite revolutions and to make social or political statements. However, there is one incident of unintentional homoerotic Chinese-Soviet communist propaganda posters. This was to promote unity between the two countries.

Art

Posters were used to express creativity as well. In the 1950s, there was a resurgence in the use of type due to the International Typographic Style which was developed in Switzerland, with the introduction of San Serif. During the 1960s, psychedelic graphics were created with the elements produced by the Art Nouveau movement.

Conclusion

Throughout history, there were many uses of the poster, there are some of the great significance that are still being echoed today. In the current age, it has evolved into being able to live completely digitally or online. I believe a poster is an irreplaceable tool that designers can use to deliver their message and I find it interesting that even after centuries, we still find new ways to reinvent this tool and still effectively communicate with the audience.

Reference

Cords, S. (2022, April 11). The history of the poster – DW – 04/11/2022. dw.com. Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://www.dw.com/en/from-art-to-advertising-the-history-of-the-poster/a-61424572#:~:text=French%20artist%20Jules%20Cheret%20became,1%2C200%20posters%20in%2040%20years

Early advertising of the West, 1867-1918. ::: Early Advertising of the West, 1867-1918 ::: (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://content.lib.washington.edu/advertweb/index.html

Rhp. (2021, November 28). The unintentionally homoerotic Chinese-soviet Communist propaganda posters, 1950-1960. Rare Historical Photos. Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/chinese-soviet-propaganda-posters/

V&A · A short history of the poster. Victoria and Albert Museum. (n.d.). Retrieved November 11, 2022, from https://www.vam.ac.uk/articles/a-short-history-of-the-poster#:~:text=The%20pioneering%20French%20poster%20artist,by%20Alois%20Senefelder%20in%201798.