With this book, use Japanese colours to create works of art inspired by Japanese art. Find out when and in whatcontext each shade was discovered and used.

Who would have imagined that an art that breaks with the concepts of the Italian Renaissance would become one of the greatest sources of inspiration for European artists? Between Vincent van Gogh, Edgar Degas or Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, Japanese art fascinates with its subtle and resplendent colours.

Artists like Hokusai represent a living, moving nature, where waves have foamy tentacles and trees seem to be able to move in the landscape. The bodies are not magnified. They take poses just as alive as Robert Doisneau's photographs.

The prints of the floating world, Ukiyo-e, represent the landscapes in a calm and gentle way just like the Sumi-e Zen paintings. Animals are represented in the same way as plants, with the same beauty and purity.

History influences colours and colours influence History.