cop: contemporary woodblock printing

'The hand made paper used for these prints is called Washi and made from tree bark usually taken from mulberry trees which makes it strong and capable of being soaked in water then dried. The set of woodblocks are capable of printing a maximum of 3000 prints and the process involves soaking the Washi, painting the coloured ink pigments onto an individual carved woodblock, laying the wet Washi onto the block and rubbing the exposed back of the paper with a rounded wooden object called a Barron until the colour has been absorbed into the washi.

Once completed this partial print is dried, usually taking about a week then the process is repeated for the next woodblock until all six woodblocks have been printed and the entire picture can be seen.'

- Peter and Wivine Winch, 'http://woodblockprint.com.au/'

Here I have decided to look up some contemporary examples of Japanese woodblock printing. The reason that I decided to do this was because I wanted a section in my essay that talked about the development of woodblock printing and how it may have developed. I can also talk about the difference in types of communication, do they still use woodblock print to relay information? There are so many different types of technologies in this modern era that I don't think using woodblock is an necessary. However, I still think it would be interesting to look at examples.

Fujita Fumio

Fujita's aesthetic is a lot different then what I have been looking at. I think it's really interesting to see how the aesthetic of woodblock printing has changed so much. Fujita seems to have taken inspiration from a more graphic style, with not much linework or detail, but splodges of paint. There are similarities when it comes  to the use of bold graphic colour, however I think the styles are very different.

hirose takashi

Takashi's work is a lot more similar to the original aesthetic that I remember of the traditional prints. I think it's because there is still essence of the detail and energetic lines from the original aesthetic. However, i think there are differences in his use of colour, as it doesn't seem to be as rich as some of the original pieces were.

KATO, TERUHIDE

Teruhide's work is a even more similar to the original aesthetic. There are some pieces of his work which are very simple, however the linework is very bold and to the point. It's not quite as energetic as some of the original pieces that i have seen which would use large ink brushes which are harder to control. However I think this is leaning towards a more similar aesthetic i was looking for.

In the end, I think I want to talk about Fujita's work in my essay. This is because it's so different from the original woodblock printing aesthetic and style. I think it will be interesting to compare the styles and how it's changed, especially in terms of communication. It is used less as a means of communicating anything substantial, such as when marketing something or telling a story. Rather, it has a more decorative purpose.