HOKUSAI
1760-1849
HOKUSAI’S LIFE
Hokusai was born in Japan in 1760, and
lived to be 89 years old!
Hokusai worked in the medium of
printmaking, which dates back to the 9th
century in China.
He is famous for his print, The Great
Wave from his book of illustrated prints
titled, 36 Views of Mount Fuji. This book
of prints illustrate the earthquake that
struck Mount Fuji in 1827.
Many artists copied elements of Hokusai’s
Great Wave in their artworks.
Self Portrait
PRINTMAKING
Through printmaking Hokusai sketched images on a plank of wood,
then used sharp tools to carve away the parts of the wood where he did
not want ink in the print.
Next, he inked the woodblock, and transferred the ink block to a piece
of paper.
Printmaking allows artists to make multiple copies of their artwork. The
first print from the block is called a proof, it is like the practice.
There are many different kinds of printmaking including: woodcut,
etching, lithography, and screen printing.
Printmaking: an art form which
allows an artist to make
multiples of one image.
Different printmaking
techniques are: etching,
woodblock, relief, lithography,
and screen printing.
Woodblock: the kind of
printmaking technique Hokusai
did for The Great Wave. It
involves carving the image into
wood. Where the image is
carved no ink will stick to the
wood. Where there is no wood
carved out of the block, ink will
stick.
The Great Wave from Hokusai’s book of illustrated prints titled, 36 Views of Mount Fuji.
1823, MMOA