Japonisme is the influence of Japanese art on Western art, primarily French art. During the 19th century, Japanese culture began to explode in France, starting with a frenzy to collect art, particularly print art. It then led to other things, such as the publication of articles and Camille Saint-Saens’ 1871 one-act opera, in which a Dutch girl is jealous of her artist friend’s fixation on an ukiyo-e woodblock print.
Degas was strongly influenced by the prints of Utamaro. Hokusai was the other main artist whose work infiltrated France and influenced many artists such as van Gogh, Monet, Manet, Renoir, Whistler, Pissaro, and many others including of course Degas. The Japanese art consisted of elements that were in direct contrast to Roman-Greco art, consisting of off centered arrangements with no perspective, light with no shadows and vibrant colors on plane surfaces. Japanese prints also inspired modern art. Some of the patterns in the ukiyo-e prints were found later in works of artists from all over the world.