Japanese prints
Influenced probably by Chinese "lithographs," some Japanese artists of the 18th century began producing woodcuts (prints) with bright colors and scenes from the life of cities and the performances of Kabuki theatre. These projects, which in their time were considered by ephemeral value and somewhat vulgar, were named ukiyo-e, meaning "pictures of the fleeting world". The works of the major artists such as Harunobu, Hiroshige, Hokusai and Utamaro, exerted a considerable influence on the European art of the 19th century.