Hokusai - The Great Wave off Kanagawa, from Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji, created using woodblock printing, c. 1829–1832, Reading Public Museum, via Creative Commons While European artists were preoccupied with presenting reality as closely as possible, traditional Japanese print masters were less concerned with depth and dimensionality, and instead accentuated flatness, strong shapes, bold lines, and graphic designs.Īlthough prints were usually attributed to a single artist, their production required a collaboration of four experts, the so-called ukiyo-e quartet comprising an engraver, printer, designer, and a publisher. The favoured paper for prints was made from the inner bark of the mulberry tree, which was strong enough to withstand rough handling. The breakthrough came in 1765 when Suzuki Harunobu (1724-1770) mastered the technique that accommodated a variety of colours. The impressive colour palettes were first evident in pieces from the late 1700s when new tools and materials were introduced into the printmaking process. Instead, Japanese woodblock prints are often filled with rich hues, including radiant primary colours that add a layer of freshness to each piece. Stylistic Aspects of Japanese Woodblock PrintingĪlthough the creation of prints may seem like a quick and mechanical process, its final results are far from formulaic compositions or subdued colours. Utamaro - Hideyoshi and his Five Wives Viewing the Cherry-blossoms at Higashiyama, via Creative Commons The leading ukiyo-e artists were Kitagawa Utamaro (1753-1806), Katsushika Hokusai (1760-1849), and Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858). Woodblock prints from this period usually depicted seductive courtesans, Kabuki actors, urban districts, landscapes, and historical events. It was marked by prosperity, peace, and the flourishing of arts, particularly of ukiyo-e, which became popular for its exquisite stylization. The Edo period (named after the capital of the country Edo, present-day Tokyo) which started with Tokugawa Ieyasu seizing power and unifying the country, lasted until 1867. Hishikawa Moronobu (1618-1694) was the master of sumizuri-e, known for his delicate line. The first prints were black and white (they were called sumizuri-e, and made with black ink), but soon they were updated with colour (hand-painted sumizuri-hissai and nishiki-e). While early prints were produced in Buddhist monasteries and contained Buddhist texts and images, in the 17th century, private printmaking studios proliferated, and more people gained access to prints and printing techniques. However, the technique grew in popularity in the Edo period (1603-1867) with ukiyo-e (image of the floating world). Perhaps a less-known fact is that Japanese woodblock printing originated in ancient China and was brought to Japan after Shogunate rule was established and the country unified. Utagawa Hiroshige - Station Kanbara, Night Snow, from Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido, wood block print on paper, via Creative Commons Today, its appeal continues, and, as recent events show, the market for ukiyo-e continues to grow. Still, Japanese woodblocks remained one of the most important and widely known mediums in art, with a significant influence cast over the development of 19th and 20th-century art. Some exceptions include, for example, the work of the designer and painter Tawaraya Sōtatsu (who died around 1640), who used wood stamps to print designs on silk and print.īest known through ukiyo-e artistic genre, the technique, motifs, and style of woodblock printing changed. Most commonly reproduced texts in this period were Buddhist scriptures, and until the 18th century, woodblock printing was primarily used for this purpose. The origin of woodblock printing reaches back to the early 8th century when the technique was used to disseminate texts instead of images. The opening of Japan to the Western world, and European artists, such as Vincent van Gogh and Impressionists - who found inspiration in this art of printed blocks and applied its lessons in their art - contributed significantly to the spread and popularity of this technique worldwide. Japanese woodblock printing (木版画, mokuhanga), although widely known and popular in Japan for a long time, reached European audiences only in the 19th century.
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