The many Styles of Japanese Art by Kira and Rosie
There are many styles of Japanese art. There are beautiful inks with soft brush strokes, bright and clear woodblock prints, and the new and popular manga style.
Here is what we thought about the different styles of art:
Sumi-e
sumi-e is a very simple form of Japanese art using inks that are normally used in Japanese calligraphy. But they are also a significantly used style of Japanese art. Sumi-e normally portrays beautiful scenes of bamboo and birds.
It was originally made by Buddhist monks who adhered to a rigorous schedule of meditation in preparation for painting. The brush used is called a fude and is used on rice paper or silk scrolls. The black sumi ink was used most often, but was harder to master than the colour.
E-maki
E-maki are colourful paintings or drawings on a hand scroll that tell a story or portray a scene. The 12th-century artists of the e-maki devised a system that conveys visually the emotional content of each scene. They were used to show real life events, or fictional stories, and were similar to modern day comics. The colours were usually very bright but were not used all that much.
Woodblock Print and Ukiyo-e
Originally drawn in the Edo period (1603-1867) ukiyoe is a style of wooden block prints and paintings refering to the various daily lifestyles of the people. They were mostly done around the Edo Period under the Tokugawa Shogunate. The typical scenes are of scenery, kabuki actors, sumo wrestlers and other daily life. One of the most famous woodblock prints is The Great Wave off Kanagawa (see below) by the Japanese artist Hokusai.
Manga
Manga is a type of comic in Japan and its art style is very destinctive. The style started after World War II and the style was greatly influenced by Osamu Tezuka who wrote Astro Boy. It is usually black and white with screen tone (fine grey dots) shading for the shadows. The most destinctive parts of the manga style are the big eyes and small mouth and nose. The eyes show many different emotions and "speed lines" are used to give a very dramatic effect. Manga is a very popular drawing style in Japan today and lots of students in our class can draw manga.
