Posted by John Fiorillo on November 03, 1998 at 12:06:36:
In Reply to: Re: Individualism and Ukiyo-e posted by Dave Bull on November 03, 1998 at 02:21:10:
Hello, Dave,
Yes, the discussion has wandered a bit (some of it my fault, I’m sure!).
I’m curious about the 'sabi-bori' ('dry brush') effect. Whenver I’ve come across this technique in woodblock prints (like the Meiji example you provided) I’ve wondered how it was accomplished. Tôshi Yoshida and Rei Yuki have an example they call "kasure" ("scratchy effect") on p. 49 of their book (Japanese Printmaking; Tuttle, 1966), which involves first cutting many parallel lines, then cutting more lines across the earlier ones with intentional irregularity, producing varied incisions that mimic the broken line effect of a dry brush (that is, a brush loaded with only minimal amounts of pigment).
Could you suggest other ways in which this effect is achieved?
: John wrote:
: :I would still repeat my earlier follow-up statement (posted 11/2), for I would
: :wager that if you compared the details of the Meiji hairdo done in
: :blockprinting with the sketched original, you would still see a difference in
: :how the pigment spreads across the paper, regardless on how effectively the
: :artisans imitated the effect of the brush.
: Yes of course the two things - a painting ... and a print - are completely different animals, and I don't quite know how this discussion got turned around so that I seem to be arguing the opposite viewpoint! I love prints for what they _are_ and not for what they imitate.
: I had a specific reason for choosing those two particular examples of calligraphy. The first is from my current series of Katsukawa Shunsho's Hyakunin Isshu prints. The second is a Meiji-era 'kuchi-e' that will be included in my new series that starts next year. For ten years now I have had no choice but to follow the _same_ carving style and the _same_ printing style as I worked on the long series. There are actually dozens of different ways to carve lines and calligraphy, and many more than dozens of different ways to put the pigment on the paper. But I have been unable to explore these techniques, due to the fact that I have had to maintain consistency in the series. But starting next year I have no such restriction.
: Whether or not I will be able to successfully reproduce the 'sabi-bori' ('dry brush') effect in that Meiji print remains to be seen. But I'm going to have a lot of fun trying!
: Dave