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| A stunning collection of woodblock prints |
Elegant, informative, and inspiring, April Vollmer's Japanese Woodblock Print Workshop introduces the history and practice of the printing technique known as mokuhanga.
Vollmer’s book offers a history of woodblock printing in Japan, outlining its utilitarian, political, and artistic significance during Japan’s Edo period, as well as its influence on European art and its stylistic development up to the present. Frequent examples of historic prints provide a visual parallel to the text.
As the Workshop transitions from history to practice, it continues to emphasize the tradition in which contemporary mokuhanga takes part. It examines each tool and material used in the printing process—woodblocks, carving tools, ink, paper, and printing disk—and describes traditional and modern choices in these areas. For each element, detailed photographs show its proper use or care. As in the historical sections of the book, prints within this section enhance the text. These full color prints, from a variety of contemporary artists, range from botanical to geometric, botanical to political, photographic to cartoon-esque, abstract to reminiscent of folk art.
Despite the detail of its incremental instructions, this book offers little description of general printing techniques—for instance, registration. As a practical guide, the book seems best suited to experienced printmakers unfamiliar with the mokuhanga method. However, the brief but fascinating overview of mokuhanga history would likely interest most students of art history. Similarly, minimalist style and skillful prints give the book itself considerable artistic appeal.
Japanese Woodblock Print Workshop balances technical description, lucid writing, and stunning prints to craft a beautiful yet useful introduction to mokuhanga.