<P> First described by French art critic and collector, Philippe Burty in 1872, Japonism, from the French Japonisme, is the study of Japanese art and artistic talent . Japonism affected fine arts, sculpture, architecture, performing arts and decorative arts throughout Western culture . The term is used particularly to refer to Japanese influence on European art, especially in impressionism . </P> <P> From the 1860s, ukiyo - e, Japanese woodblock prints, became a source of inspiration for many Western artists . Ukiyo - e began as a Japanese painting school developed in the 17th century . Ukiyo - e woodblock prints were created to fit a demand for inexpensive, souvenir images . Although the prints were inexpensive, they were innovative and technical which gave each one value . These prints were rarely created with a single patron in mind, rather they were created for the commercial market in Japan . Although a percentage of prints were brought to the West through Dutch trade merchants, it was not until the 1860s that ukiyo - e prints gained popularity in Europe . Western artists were intrigued by the original use of color and composition . Ukiyo - e prints featured dramatic foreshortening and asymmetrical compositions . </P>

Many european artists studied japanese art to better understand this principle