This week I took a look at Katsushika Hokusai. He was a Japanese artist (which you might have figured out by the name) who is most known for his series titled,
“36 Views of Mount Fuji.” This series contains pieces like Red Fuji and The Great Wave off Kanagawa, which is probably his most famous painting of all:
“36 Views of Mount Fuji.” This series contains pieces like Red Fuji and The Great Wave off Kanagawa, which is probably his most famous painting of all:
This was one of the only paintings that I had seen by Hokusai prior to this project, and it was the reason that I became interested in him. As I’m sure a lot of people do, I really liked “The Great Wave” for Hokusai’s unique approach to drawing the sea foam on the crest of the waves. When I look at it, I think of a bunch of clawed hands reaching out, trying to grab on to something. Now that I think about it, this may have even been Hokusai’s goal. The ruthless nature that the waves convey is reflected in the people’s distressed position. Whatever the true reason for this particular style, it was cool, and it inspired me to make an attempt at emulating his style, as I have done for MC Escher and Salvador Dali. In my drawing, I tried to combine elements from various Hokusai prints to create a landscape that flowed from one thing to the next. Again, this was my goal, so I am not sure how well I achieved it, but here it is:
I used these three paintings as a reference:
Hodogaya on the Tokaido
The Great Wave off Kanagawa
Asakusa Hongan-ji temple in the Eastern capital
Something that I never really gave much thought to before starting this process was reference. Using an object, photograph, or other piece of art really helps with producing drawings that are realistic, or maybe just look good. What I never realized was how much artists utilize reference images, no matter how much experience they may have. Of course, there is a point in an artist’s career where they can drawing realistically without the need for looking at a reference, and right now, this is my ultimate goal. Throughout this process, I have been relying on work from Escher, Dali, and Hokusai, and I think the drawings I made are significantly better than older ones in my sketchbook. But I have always started a page with the goal of emulating the work of the particular artist, and I have not allowed myself to come up with my own ideas.
In a way, things have gone according to plan; I wanted to devote the first part of the timeline to learning about the greats and practicing drawing, so that when I went to create my final piece, I would have the freedom to make something that expressed myself. Hopefully I will be able to show that I have made an improvement over the course of these seven weeks through my final drawing.
Sources:
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/The_Great_Wave_off_Kanagawa.jpg
http://www.katsushikahokusai.org/biography.html
Sources:
http://www.katsushikahokusai.org/biography.html
Your drawing is amazing! I like how you've been learning from talented artists for the past few weeks but you still add your own individual/creative touch to this drawing. I can clearly see the "clawed hands" reaching out from your drawing of the waves. Do you already have an idea yet for what your final piece will be? I don't draw or sketch much in my spare time (well, I do doodle in my math notebook a lot..) so I don't really have tips. But it's obvious that you're really passionate about drawing and your final piece will probably look great!
ReplyDeleteDid you get the idea of mimicking Hokusai from Japanese Culture Day or did you find him on your own?
ReplyDeleteNever really thought about the hand-like foam of The Great Wave as instruments for grabbing. Perhaps, because the wave is directed towards the serene Mount Fuji, Hokusai was suggesting that the sea is jealous of Fuji's calm glory. He might even be suggesting something out of Japanese folklore, where the sea-spirit and the Fuji-spirit were in an eternal brawl.
Terrific job mimicking Hokusai's waves in your drawing. I notice some of your style in the figure in the drawing.
Though you seem to think of mimicking other artists' work as a bad thing, I think that it is a vital stage in any creator's career. By copying the styles of other artists, you are developing and maturing your own style. Hokusai, for example, as a traditional Japanese artist, had to mimic his master's art style for years before being allowed to develop his own.
I am no "artistic genius", but I must say that your drawing looks really awesome! Also, something about your drawing that I find really cool is how well you show shadows a depth in your drawing, while only using a pencil. Once upon a time, I had seen a time-lapse video of someone drawing a similar picture to that, and it was very interesting to watch. Do you plan to do something like that with your final piece, or do you plan to just present it? Either way, I am excited to see how it turns out!
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