What you probably already know is that Vincent van Gogh, like many other late nineteenth century artists, was a great admirer of Japanese prints. Following his first encounter with Japanese prints in Antwerp in 1885, he decorated the walls of his studio with them. In November 1885 he wrote to his brother Theo: 'My studio's quite tolerable, mainly because I've pinned a set of Japanese prints on the walls that I find very diverting. You know, those little female figures in gardens or on the shore, horsemen, flowers, gnarled thorn branches.' You may also know, especially if you visited the wonderful exhibition of his work at the Royal Academy in London last year, that he produced his own versions of a few of them in oils, such as his Flowering Plum Tree, based on a Hiroshige design (shown below).
Kameido Plum Garden, from the series One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, by Andō Hiroshige. Woodblock print, 1857.
Flowering Plum Tree, by Vincent van Gogh. Oil on canvas, 1887.
What you may not know is that around seventy years after Vincent paid homage to Japanese print designers by producing paintings based on their designs, the woodblock print artist Okuyama Gihachirō (1907-1981) returned the compliment by producing prints based on Vincent's oil paintings (some of which you will find below). It's interesting to see how well Vincent's works - so heavily influenced by the colouring and composition of Japanese prints - translate from being European works in oil on canvas to Japanese works in ink on paper. The influence of Japanese prints on Vincent's development as an artist can not be overestimated, and viewing his work alongside that of Gihachirō makes that influence all the more evident.
I can't help wondering what Vincent would have made of Gihachirō's prints. Personally, I think they're wonderful. Gihachirō was a prolific artist, producing more than a thousand designs during his working life, but he's rather overlooked by most collectors and enthusiasts, which is a pity. Anyway, I'll leave you to have a good look at them.
Père Tanguy, by Vincent van Gogh. Oil on canvas, 1887.
Père Tanguy, by Okuyama Gihachirō. Woodblock print, 1957.
The Bedroom, by Vincent van Gogh. Oil on canvas, 1888.
The Bedroom, by Okuyama Gihachirō. Woodblock print, c. 1957.
Self-Portrait, by Vincent van Gogh. Oil on canvas, 1889.
Portrait of Vincent van Gogh, by Okuyama Gihachirō. Woodblock print, 1956.
Sunflowers, by Vincent van Gogh. Oil on canvas, 1889.
Sunflowers, by Okuyama Gihachirō. Woodblock print, 1959.
The Old Church Tower at Nuenen, by Vincent van Gogh. Oil on canvas, 1884.
The Old Church Tower at Nuenen, by Okuyama Gihachirō. Woodblock print, 1957.
