Hokusai - printmaking report



Katsushika Hokusai 1760-1849 was a Japanese painter and printmaker. He was best known for his woodblock print series - Thirty Six views of Mount Fuji.
This series includes the internationally iconic print "The Great Wave off Kanagawa" which is the top picture.  The second image is "Choshi in Shimosa" from "One Thousand Images of the Sea". And the third image  is "Kirifuri Waterfall at Kurokami Mountain in Shimotsuke" (from a "Tour of Japanese Waterfalls").
I selected these prints as one of my goals is learning to draw/paint/represent water and I have observed waves and waterfalls with the aim of trying to replicate their movement. I find it very hard however looking at the prints of the waves it shows there can be more ways to show them (rather than the more literal), here they are very stylised however the second one in particular still manages to convey the movement and power of the water. The waterfall print is interesting but doesn't look like water at all, it looks solid and static like interesting tree roots. This shows me how not to do it, if that isn't cheeky!

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