See the attachment for the work
0
Printing in the East: Japanese Printing
Last class, we discussed the four main printing processes: relief, intaglio, lithography, and screen printing. Each process requires a different matrix (the printing object), materials, and tools. As a result, each process has a different appearance for the final product. Last class we also examined the works of Albrecht Durer, one of the most prolific printmakers of Europe. His engravings, like The Knight, Death, and the Devil, is a great example of an engraving (or intaglio).
Albrecht Durer; Knight, Death, and the Devil; 1513
Durer was a master of his craft, spending an extraordinary amount of time to create one matrix. Inside of his impression, we see Durer's world filled with dark creatures and demons, as well as humans and animals. He was able to attain this level of detail because of the intaglio process, which essentially is like drawing! We can see very fine lines and intense detail that brings this scene to life.
Relief prints, on the other hand, have a different look about them. There is no shading. Rather we have large and precise areas of color and shape that create the contours of figures. There is not subtle gradation from light to dark--you either have very dark or very light. These can also be done in color! However, you need a separate matrix for each color being used.
Kirchner, Peasant Woman with Boy at Table, 1917
Ukiyo-e Prints
Literally meaning “Pictures of the Floating World," Ukiyo-e refers to a style of Japanese woodblock print and painting from the Edo Period depicting scenes of everyday life as well as the entertainment and night life enjoyed by the rising middle class. These prints describes the sensory pleasures of urban life, but also offers a bittersweet reminder of the fleeting nature of all worldly delights. It’s commonly said that in Edo Japan, anyone could own a masterpiece Ukiyo-e print for about the price of a bowl of noodles. While this claim oversimplifies, it is true that by the 17th century, Ukiyo-e printmakers innovated centuries-old woodblock text printing techniques to create colorful picture prints that were distributed widely for popular consumption.
In fact, one of the most famous images of art history is a ukiyo-e print: The Wave by Hokusai.
Hokusai, The Great Wave Off Kanagawa, 1829-32
The below link is to a website that explains in depth the world of Edo Japan and the art form that permeated it more than anything: ukiyo-e prints.
https://www.mylearning.org/stories/japanese-woodblock-print/
On the left side of the page, there are tabs that guide you through the information. It will start on "About the Picture." Read from that tab through "Samurai Warriors."
The following essays provide even more insight (they are short essays):
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/art-japan/edo-period/a/the-evolution-of-ukiyo-e-and-woodblock-prints
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/art-japan/edo-period/a/hokusai-under-the-wave-off-kanagawa-the-great-wave
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/art-asia/art-japan/edo-period/a/the-floating-world-of-edo-japan
Answer the following questions after reading all of the above:
What is the typical subject matter of Ukiyo-e prints?
How does the subject matter of ukiyo-e prints reflect the atmosphere of Edo at the time (what was happening/going on in the city that we also see in the prints?)
How are Hokusai's prints different form typical ukiyo-e artists at the time? Use at least one example of Hokusai's art in your answer.
What elements and principles are present in the print of the samurai that makes this image dynamic and active?
Enable your flash player and click on the link for the interactive tour of the samurai print at the bottom of the "Samurai Warriors" tab. What does the artist include that makes this print a realistic image of samurai.
Now, watch the following video demonstrating to you the intricate process of ukiyo-e printing:
Answer the following questions:
How would you describe this process? Does it look easy? Does it look hard?
How are the multiple colors and patterns of ukiyo-e prints achieved?
Where you impressed by this process? Why or why not?
