Art Techniques and Traditions

Woodblock Printing

• A relief printing process where the image is carved out of wood, leaving raised areas to be inked.
• Affordable and popular, depicting popular subjects like actors and landscapes.
• Produced colorful prints using multiple colors; a team – woodcutter and printer – is required.

Porcelain

• A very smooth and translucent ceramic made from kaolin clay.
• Fired at high temperatures, and originated in China.
• Initially used for royal purposes, increasing demand in the 15th century.

Chaekgeori (Korean Folding Screens)

• Ink and color on silk; "Chaek" means book and "geori" means things.
• Flourished in 18th-century Korea, particularly during King JoengJo's reign.
• Depicted auspicious symbols (like brushes, inkstones, and fruits) bringing good luck.

Trompe l’oeil

• French for "deceive/fool the eye,” a technique creating a visual illusion.
• Paints an object that looks like something else (e.g. a bookshelf).

Linear Perspective

• A system using vanishing points and geometry to represent 3D space on a 2D surface.
• Common in Dutch paintings.

Illusionism

• Creating an illusion of something not actually present (e.g. a bookshelf).
• Makes objects appear more real, improving their impact.

Ukiyo

• Means "floating world" referring to the entertainment and pleasure districts in Edo (now Tokyo).
• Originally a Buddhist term for the ephemeral nature of life.
• Embraced the beauty of present pleasure.

Ukiyo-e

• "Pictures of the floating world," depicting scenes of daily life in Edo, including pleasure districts and landscapes.
• Conveys elements of detaching oneself from the world.

Prussian Blue

• A synthetic deep blue color, becoming less expensive in China in the early 19th century.
• Allowed for use in cheaper prints, increasing tonal range.
• Enabled vibrant and varied shading.

Key Artworks (with medium, time period and location)

• Glazed white porcelain "Moon" jar: Joseon dynasty (18th century), British Museum, London. (white, round, undecorated; South Koreans connect to older traditions)
• Characteristics of jars (come in 2 pieces, natural imperfections, embraced)
• Yi Taek-gyun, Books and Scholars’ Accoutrements (chaekgeori): Joseon dynasty (late 1800s), Cleveland Museum of Art, Ohio (ten-panel folding screen in ink and color on silk). Trompe l'oeil, illusionistic, utilizes linear perspective, and showing auspicious objects.
• Katsushika Hokusai, Under the Wave off Kanagawa: ca. 1830–32, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York. (polychrome woodblock print).
• Artist's signature, series affiliation, fear of invasion, combination of Japanese and European traditions (especially Dutch landscapes; fixed spatial viewpoints)
• Combines Japanese and European ideals, dynamic design, and experimentation with a low horizon.

Explore various art forms such as woodblock printing, porcelain craftsmanship, and Korean Chaekgeori screens. This quiz also delves into techniques like trompe l’oeil and linear perspective, highlighting their historical significance and artistic value. Test your knowledge and appreciation of these unique art traditions.