Ukiyo-e: Pictures of the Floating World

 

 Ukiyo-e (translated as "pictures of the floating world") is a type of Japanese woodblock printing dating back to the 17th and 20th centuries.  The "floating world" is better described by a contemporary novelist named Asai Ryōi, who wrote described it as:

"... Living only for the moment, turning our full attention to the pleasures of the moon, the snow, the cherry blossoms and the maple leaves; singing songs, drinking wine, diverting ourselves in just floating, floating; ... refusing to be disheartened, like a gourd floating along with the river current: this is what we call the floating world...(source)"

The process of making a Ukiyo-e print was not done by a single artist, and was instead a collaborative project done by the artist, publisher, woodblock carver, and the printer.  However, usually only the artist and the publisher received credit for the print.  

Ukiyo-e prints were made using the following procedure (source):

• The artist produced a master drawing in ink
• An assistant, called a hikkō, would then create a tracing (hanshita) of the master
• Craftsmen glued the hanshita face-down to a block of wood and cut away the areas where the paper was white. This left the drawing, in reverse, as a relief print on the block, but destroyed the hanshita.
• This block was inked and printed, making near-exact copies of the original drawing.
• A first test copy, called a kyōgo-zuri, would be given to the artist for a final check.
• The prints were in turn glued, face-down, to blocks and those areas of the design which were to be printed in a particular color were left in relief. Each of these blocks printed at least one color in the final design.
• The resulting set of woodblocks were inked in different colors and sequentially impressed onto paper. The final print bore the impressions of each of the blocks, some printed more than once to obtain just the right depth of color.

In a reply to this post, answer the following questions, then reply to at least two of your classmates' responses as well.

1. How do you think the process of working with a team would change the way a work of art is made?  Would you prefer to work alone or collaboratively?  Why?
2. Do a little research.  What subjects were most often depicted in Ukiyo-e prints?
3. What is your opinion of this artistic style?