Katsushika Hokusai (Printmaking)
Katsushika Hokusai is a Japanese painter and printer from the Edo period. Born in 1760 in Edo (now Tokyo), Hokusai learned to paint and woodcraft through his father, who made and carved mirror for Japan's elite. He would become known as the authority for Chinese painting in his lifetime, and his famous prints are recognised worldwide. He died on May 10th 1849. Most famous for his coloured Japanese woodprints of Mount Fuji and great waves, Hokusai's prints stand out with vivid colours and really draw the eye.
The Great Wave off Kanagawa (1829-1833) is arguably Hokusai's most recognised work. The first in this series entitled Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji, it utilises Japanese woodprinting. The method involves placing a drawing on top of a wooden block and carving into the wood to create a print for each colour used in the image. The Great Wave uses only three colours, yet appears to contain more. I love the imagery of this piece, the vibrant blues contrasting well with the sepia tones. The sense of movement and scale is something that is not often seen in artwork of this time.
Fine Wind, Clear Morning (1760-1849) is also from the Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji collection. This one a more direct image of the mountain Hokusai was obsessed with. Like Great Wave, it uses Japanese Wood Block printing. This is considered to be one of his simplest prints, yet is stands out the most. An interesting thing about this print is that it changes rapidly depending on the prints. Some of the prints are quite dull in colour, looking more sepia toned. The image most associated with this print is the vibrant version, included above. I love the simplicity of this. The cloudy sky contrasted by the red mountain.
Hokusai proves to me that prints do not need to be lifelike to stand out and strike the viewer. His use of colour is really inspiring, and bring these simple shapes to life. The Great Wave in particular really surprises me, it's depiction of motion ahead of it's time, I feel.
The Great Wave off Kanagawa (1829-1833) is arguably Hokusai's most recognised work. The first in this series entitled Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji, it utilises Japanese woodprinting. The method involves placing a drawing on top of a wooden block and carving into the wood to create a print for each colour used in the image. The Great Wave uses only three colours, yet appears to contain more. I love the imagery of this piece, the vibrant blues contrasting well with the sepia tones. The sense of movement and scale is something that is not often seen in artwork of this time.
Fine Wind, Clear Morning (1760-1849) is also from the Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji collection. This one a more direct image of the mountain Hokusai was obsessed with. Like Great Wave, it uses Japanese Wood Block printing. This is considered to be one of his simplest prints, yet is stands out the most. An interesting thing about this print is that it changes rapidly depending on the prints. Some of the prints are quite dull in colour, looking more sepia toned. The image most associated with this print is the vibrant version, included above. I love the simplicity of this. The cloudy sky contrasted by the red mountain.
Hokusai proves to me that prints do not need to be lifelike to stand out and strike the viewer. His use of colour is really inspiring, and bring these simple shapes to life. The Great Wave in particular really surprises me, it's depiction of motion ahead of it's time, I feel.
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