De animales y hombres: Exploring Japanese Woodblock Prints & Katagami Art at MNAD

This exhibition showcases Japanese woodblock prints (ukiyo-e) and stencils (katagami) from the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas (MNAD) collection. It delves into the world of Japanese paper art from the 18th to 20th centuries, focusing on depictions of animals and humans, and reflecting daily life, beauty, and nature in Edo-period Japan.

The exhibition 'De animales y hombres' presents a significant part of the Museo Nacional de Artes Decorativas' oriental collection, specifically highlighting Japanese ukiyo-e prints and newly identified katagami. This thematic display, part of the museum's 'Relectura de la colecciones del museo' project, aims to make more of the collection accessible to the public. The exhibited works, produced in Japan between the 18th and 20th centuries, focus on representations of the animal world and the human figure, employing two distinct techniques: polychrome woodblock printing (ukiyo-e) and fabric dyeing stencils (katagami). The Ukiyo-e section delves into this art form's origins during the Edo period (1603-1868), explaining its connection to the cultural revolution and the rise of urban classes. These prints served as a form of popular art, illustrating books, periodicals, and acting as advertising and propaganda, covering themes from portraits and daily life to landscapes and animals. The text also notes the profound influence ukiyo-e had on European art from the mid-19th century onwards. The exhibition features works by renowned masters such as Kitagawa Utamaro, Katsushika Hokusai, Ando Hiroshige, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Utagawa Kunisada, and Ogata Korin. The Katagami section details the stencils used for dyeing fabrics, crafted from thick mulberry bark paper treated for durability. The techniques of cutting these intricate patterns have remained largely unchanged, organized into four main specialities. The patterns, often inspired by nature, could be simple or complex, used for central motifs, borders, or corners, possibly for handkerchiefs. Like ukiyo-e, Ise katagami developed within the cultural context of Edo as an auxiliary discipline to textile production, catering to the demand for refined and fashionable attire among urban populations. This craft remained in use through the Meiji period and into the 20th century.

Entry to the exhibition is free. The museum has specific opening hours from Tuesday to Sunday, with extended hours on certain Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays in December. It is closed on Mondays and several public holidays.