POEM OF THE PILLOW AND OTHER STORIES: Utamaro, H

Shunga, such as the famous Japanese erotic pillow books, also known euphemistically as 'spring images', were vibrant, curious and explicit documents of sexual life, designed to inform, thrill and entertain. This book presents a comprehensive modern study on Japanese erotic art, illustrating a large selection of the best works from public and private collections from around the world. Far from being a separate genre, Shunga constitutes at least half of the output of all ukiyo-e art, and often the largest part of any given artist's production. Artists such as Edgar Degas, Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin among others were known for their love of Shunga prints and were influenced by the unusual framing and arbitrary colors of Japanese printing methods. Shunga notably came to the West during the Art Nouveau period when collecting Japanese prints became popular, and traces of Shunga styles and elements have visibly influenced this artistic period.