From Woodblock Print to Manga: Artistic Japan

From the great masters of Edo-period woodblock printing to the renowned mangaka of contemporary times, the exhibition highlights a graphic tradition and aesthetic culture that has been passed down in Japan since the medieval era.

Woodblock printing was part of popular culture intended for a wide audience, just as manga is today. The themes and symbols found in traditional prints reappear in contemporary manga in new forms, transforming this heritage into modern expression.

Numerous historical objects accompany the prints of the great masters Hokusai, Hiroshige and Utamaro, revealing exceptional artistic craftsmanship. This fascinated the West when Japan presented itself at the 1867 Paris World’s Fair. Japanese art sparked extraordinary enthusiasm, giving rise to Japonism.

Influence between Japan and the West would be mutual. While Impressionists drew inspiration from Japan, Western comics and satirical press reshaped Japanese graphic storytelling. After World War II, Osamu Tezuka, the “God of Manga,” revolutionised the medium by introducing cinematic techniques inspired by Walt Disney. He laid the foundations of modern manga, which later diversified into specific genres (shōnen, shōjo, seinen, etc.).

Major names in manga from the 1980s to today can be seen on the walls of the Abbey of Stavelot: Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, Astro Boy, Saint Seiya, City Hunter, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and many other heroes, presented through original drawings, dōgas, cels, and 3D figurines.

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