From contemplation to the art of play and learning. Japanese prints for children between the Edo and Meiji eras.

From contemplation to the art of play and learning. Japanese Prints for Children between the Edo and Meiji Era.

In Japan, since the Edo period (1603-1868), children have been accorded an important role not only in the family but also in the structure of society. The emergence and development of an artistic and literary culture aimed at a child audience testifies to the great attention paid to the child and the caring involvement of adults in the various moments of a child's growth, from body care to play and learning. The rich iconographic repertoire of ukiyo-e prints addressed to the child universe is illustrated by three main categories of images, respectively referred to as oyako-e, kodomo-e, and omocha-e. The first of these categories includes prints showing children accompanied by their mothers. The second category includes depictions of children caught in various daily activities. Finally, the third category, that of woodblock prints, known as homocha-e, differs from the first two in that it designates woodblock prints that are not intended merely for viewing, but are made primarily for the entertainment and education of young children

Manuela Moscatiello is director of Japanese collections at the Cernuschi Museum in Paris. Her research focuses on Japanese art of the Edo and Meiji periods and cultural exchange between Japan and Europe in the 19th century. Her doctoral dissertation on Giuseppe De Nitti's Japanism, published in 2011, was awarded the XXXII Prize of the Society for the Study of Japonisme. She is the author of numerous articles and monographs on Japanese artists (Jakuchū, Hokusai, Kamisaka Sekka) and has curated several exhibitions, including Voyage sur la route du Kisokaidō. De Hiroshige à Kuniyoshi (musée Cernuschi, 2020-2021), Jakuchū. Le Royaume coloré des êtres vivants (Petit Palais, 2018) and Trésors de Kyōto. Trois siècles de création Rinpa (musée Cernuschi, 2018).

Yasu Saito, Honorary president of the Chair, will be attending the meeting in presence.