Preamble
For you convenience I have listed the other post in this series below.
Japanese Prints (Part I)
Japanese Prints (Part III)
Introduction [1]
The Ukiyo-e print represents the culmination of a long history of printing in Japan and East-Asia. Printing and paper making were invented in China, and the techniques are known to have been used in Japan at least as early as the seventh century. The traditional method of printing in East Asia was by means of wooden blocks.
The production of Ukiyo-e prints relied on the combined effects of a designer, a block cutter and a printer, with a publisher to co-ordinate and oversee their labours. It was, however, the artist who had supplied the original design who put his name to the finished print. Since the publisher financed the whole venture, its success depended on this ability to make the appropriate choice of subject matter and to know and understand the market.
The stages involved in the production of a Ukiyo-e print were numerous, and yet an experienced publisher could arrange for the print run of, for example, a theatrical scene to appear within a few days of its first public performance. Initially, the publisher commissioned the artist to provide a detailed design and, once approved, this was copied on to a thin, semi-transparent paper so that it could be used directly on the block. The type of wood most widely used to make the block was cherry, since it was soft enough to be carved with comparative ease and yet strong enough to take finely carved detail and to withstand the demands of numerous print runs. Having placed the paper face down on the block, the block cutter then cut around the lines of the design, leaving them in relief, while removing the intervening areas of wood. The block cutter's task was an extremely skilled task, for the effect of the finished print relied on his success in translating the flowing, calligraphic line of the artist's original ink painting into a hard and rigid medium. The end result was an art form which combined the essence of a painting with the limitations of the woodblock print.
Except in the case of special color effects, the main or key block which supplied the outline of the design was printed in black. Proofs were then run off which could be used to indicate the colors required for different parts of the design so that the block cutter could make an additional block for each color. Since as many as twenty or more different blocks may have been used on a full color print, it was necessary to ensure some accurate method for the registration of color. From 1644 onwards, Japanese craftsmen solved this problem by employing a device known as the kentō: a pair of marks was cut in relief on the key block and was then incorporated into each color block. By lining up the paper with these marks, it was possible to ensure that the different areas of color corresponded to the relevant parts of the design.
Hoshō paper derived from the inner bark of the mulberry tree was widely used for Ukiyo-e prints since it was sufficiently strong and thick to withstand printing with numerous color blocks, while at the same time absorbent enough to take up the colors. The main colors used come from vegetable and mineral sources, while additional shades could be mixed directly on the block. By wiping away some of the color on the block before printing, it was also possible to achieve different gradations of a single color from light to dark. The introduction of aniline dyes during the 1870s brought a variety of new and vivid colors to the printmaker's palette, especially purples and oranges.
Japanese craftsman applied ink or color directly on to the block; paper was then placed on top and the impression was taken by rubbing the uppermost side or back of the paper with a pad barn in a zigzag or circular motion. Once all the sheets of paper had been printed with one color, the whole procedure was repeated for another color, and so on.
Japanese Prints (Part II) [1]
"Courtesan with a Fan" (ca. 1781) by Kitagawa Utamaro (1754 - 1806). From the series - "Collected Beauties of the SouthLands". The courtesan is holding an uchiwa fan, which depicts a shore scene, together with an appropriate poetic inscription [1].
Mother and children in a scene from Chūshingura (Tale of the 47 Ronin) drama (ca. 1790) by Kitigawa Utamaro (1754 - 1806). This is an example of a print which not only portrays a beautiful woman and her children, but also has theatrical associations, thus combining the two most popular Ukiyo-e subjects [1].
Great performance of the comic play Niwaka with female musicians by Kitagawa Utamaro (1754 - 1806). Utamaro sought an endless variety of settings in which to place the women portrayed in his prints. In this case, they are shown as musicians participating in a play [1].
Akakime of the Akatsuta-ya, a famous beauty by Kitagawa Utamaro (1754 - 1806). This is an example of a print which not only portrays a popular courtesan but which also helped to circulate contemporary high fashion by means of the details of her sumptuous dress. The lines of the body and head are also offset and balanced by the arrangement of the kimono draped on the ground [1].
The courtesan Kasugano of the Sasa-ya, having just emerged from a bath (ca. 1795) by Taki Eishō (active from ca. 1785 - 1800). From the series - "A comparison of beauties within the quarter (i.e. Yoshiwara) [1].
The actor Ishikawa Ebizō (1794) by Tōshūsai Shark (active from 1794 - 1795). The Ishikawa were one of the great acting families of Japan and can frequently be identified by their distinctive red costumes decorated with concentric white squares [1].
Portrait of the actor Matsumoto Kōshirō as Kōtoya Bungorō (ca. 1800) by Utagawa Toyokuni (1769 - 1825). From a series of portraits against patterned grounds [1].
Emblems of the "Seven Gods of Good Luck" by Masayuki Shinsai (1764? - 1820). Surimono, inscribed with poems. The "Seven Gods" are alluded to by depicting their attributes: the calico bag and fan refer to Hot, the God of Contentment and Happiness; the fish and hat to Ebisu, the God of Daily Food and Patron of Fishermen; the mallet to Daikoku, the God of Wealth; the scroll to Jurjin, the God of Scholastic Learning; the stag's horns to Fukurokuju, the God of Longevity; the musical instrument yo Benten, the Goddess of Music and Love; the helmet to Bishamon, the God of Wealth [1].
Reference:
[1] J. Hutt, Japanese Prints, Studio Editions Ltd, London (1996).
For you convenience I have listed the other post in this series below.
Japanese Prints (Part I)
Japanese Prints (Part III)
Introduction [1]
The Ukiyo-e print represents the culmination of a long history of printing in Japan and East-Asia. Printing and paper making were invented in China, and the techniques are known to have been used in Japan at least as early as the seventh century. The traditional method of printing in East Asia was by means of wooden blocks.
The production of Ukiyo-e prints relied on the combined effects of a designer, a block cutter and a printer, with a publisher to co-ordinate and oversee their labours. It was, however, the artist who had supplied the original design who put his name to the finished print. Since the publisher financed the whole venture, its success depended on this ability to make the appropriate choice of subject matter and to know and understand the market.
The stages involved in the production of a Ukiyo-e print were numerous, and yet an experienced publisher could arrange for the print run of, for example, a theatrical scene to appear within a few days of its first public performance. Initially, the publisher commissioned the artist to provide a detailed design and, once approved, this was copied on to a thin, semi-transparent paper so that it could be used directly on the block. The type of wood most widely used to make the block was cherry, since it was soft enough to be carved with comparative ease and yet strong enough to take finely carved detail and to withstand the demands of numerous print runs. Having placed the paper face down on the block, the block cutter then cut around the lines of the design, leaving them in relief, while removing the intervening areas of wood. The block cutter's task was an extremely skilled task, for the effect of the finished print relied on his success in translating the flowing, calligraphic line of the artist's original ink painting into a hard and rigid medium. The end result was an art form which combined the essence of a painting with the limitations of the woodblock print.
Except in the case of special color effects, the main or key block which supplied the outline of the design was printed in black. Proofs were then run off which could be used to indicate the colors required for different parts of the design so that the block cutter could make an additional block for each color. Since as many as twenty or more different blocks may have been used on a full color print, it was necessary to ensure some accurate method for the registration of color. From 1644 onwards, Japanese craftsmen solved this problem by employing a device known as the kentō: a pair of marks was cut in relief on the key block and was then incorporated into each color block. By lining up the paper with these marks, it was possible to ensure that the different areas of color corresponded to the relevant parts of the design.
Hoshō paper derived from the inner bark of the mulberry tree was widely used for Ukiyo-e prints since it was sufficiently strong and thick to withstand printing with numerous color blocks, while at the same time absorbent enough to take up the colors. The main colors used come from vegetable and mineral sources, while additional shades could be mixed directly on the block. By wiping away some of the color on the block before printing, it was also possible to achieve different gradations of a single color from light to dark. The introduction of aniline dyes during the 1870s brought a variety of new and vivid colors to the printmaker's palette, especially purples and oranges.
Japanese craftsman applied ink or color directly on to the block; paper was then placed on top and the impression was taken by rubbing the uppermost side or back of the paper with a pad barn in a zigzag or circular motion. Once all the sheets of paper had been printed with one color, the whole procedure was repeated for another color, and so on.
Japanese Prints (Part II) [1]
Reference:
[1] J. Hutt, Japanese Prints, Studio Editions Ltd, London (1996).
No comments:
Post a Comment