ARS 212 - Japanese Woodblock Printing

Course unit(s): 1
Meets GAR (students beginning prior to Fall 2024): Meets general academic requirement DE.
Meets Explore Core requirement (students beginning Fall 2024 and later): CE and GP
Prerequisite or corequisite: ARS 110 Printmaking I , ARS 111 Printmaking & the Book , or permission of the instructor

In Printmaking II: Japanese Woodblock, students will learn the technique of Japanese woodblock printing, or mokuhanga. Mokuhanga uses watercolors in place of oil-based ink to create prints with floating, transparent colors. This is one of the few printmaking techniques that is truly portable, non-toxic, and fully water based. Students will learn the technique from the ground up, from sharpening tools and transferring an image, to carving and inking. We will also talk about the history of the medium, looking both at the invention of printmaking and paper in Asia, the history of printmaking in Japan, and contemporary mokuhanga in a global context. For example, students will learn how Hokusai’s print, the Great Wave, was made; consider early forms of manga; and discuss the influence of Japanese prints on Impressionism. Students will take inspiration from a wide range of contemporary artists to create their own woodblock prints. Students will develop a set of images focused on a concept of their choosing across the course of the semester.