THE ARTIST Katsushika Hokusai, (1760-1849) JAPANESE UKIYO-E PAINTER
WHERE IN THE WORLD? Japan
Create an underwater scene. Use some of the textures that are shown on the previous page. You may enjoy creating water in the way Hokusai shows us. Do so by first drawing the sweeping lines with the tip of the pencil. Place the other objects into the picture. Do not use the side of your pencil for completing the water yet. This technique lays a lot of graphite onto the paper, which will smear easily. Think about plants that grow underwater and invent specific strokes to show the texture of those plants. Add animals or fish to your scene. Once the animals, fish, and plants are finished, complete the water by going over the water lines with the side of the pencil. Remember to draw subjects that you enjoy as you explore new ideas. You can get pictures of water creatures from the internet, encyclopedias, or books. For centuries in Japan, only the student that copied his master’s strokes perfectly would be admired. Methods were developed for how to draw a rock, a tree, or a mountain. Students did not look at real nature until they had perfected the methods of portraying the specific things they would see there (343 Lee). This attitude, combined with Japan’s isolation from other countries during Hokusai’s lifetime, makes his story of creativity an amazing one. He trained as a child and worked in the traditional manner. At age 30, Hokusai found a few European prints. Upon the death of his master, he began using the types of subjects he saw Europeans use. He began painting landscapes and the daily life of Japanese people from every social status. These types of subjects were new to Japanese artists. He traveled throughout Japan making prints of what he saw. His account of the land, weather, and people is an amazing accomplishment in a society where following tradition was valued far above thinking foroneself.His coloredwoodblock prints were much loved by the Japanese people during his lifetime. He died just before his 90th birthday.
While Europe, from southern Italy to the Netherlands in the north, developed a taste for realismin their art, Japan, adistant small country to the east, was not bound by how close the object appeared to the real thing. This allowed them to focus on a more emotional response to the things they saw. In Swimming Turtles , the artist has focused on the feel of water, and the feel of turtles floating and gliding through it. We even get a sense of the way underwater plants move with the motion of water. Although the turtles look very realistic, the water does not. This work shows the idea of water. Japanese artists, aware of the human experience, used all human senses, emotions, and feelings about what is seen. The practice of meditating on objects within nature and the high value they held for the natural world affected their art. While contemplating water for hours the artist could be inspired by some aspect of it. They would then show that quality about water. In contrast, Europe developed a strict set of rules for accuracy in what they saw. We will discuss the reasons for those rules in later lessons. For now, keep inmind that East andWest developed different ideas about art according to the values the societies thought were important. Art is always a reflection of cultural values.
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