The Japanese Print

Last Sunday, we went to the Legion of Honor to see an exhibit of Japanese prints and how they influenced the Impressionists.

One of the best parts of the exhibit was a video showing the printmaking process:  from making the paper, planing the Cherry block, transfering the image to the block, cutting away the excess wood to reveal the image, making the ink, making the Baren (a circular rubbing pad used to press the paper down on the block), and adding the different colors that make up the print.

For me the idea of making your own tools which, in turn, are used in the production of a work of art is a real pleasure.  It comes back to the original state of craftsmanship ... something at which the Japanese excel.  When I was carving wood, I ran across a fellow sculptor who made a special chisel for his work.  In itself it was a work af art. 

Another interesting aspect of Japanese printmaking was the business model it embraced:  producer, artist, carver, printer, and distributor.  My wife remarked that it was analogous to today's movie industry where you have a producer, script writer, director, actors, film crew, editor, and distributor.  

Here are a couple of favorites:  Hiroshige's Thunderstorm at Ohoshi from the series "One hundred Views of Edo;  and a print from Henri Riviere's series, The Thirty-Six Views of the Eiffel Tower.