Japanese crane print

If you learn a little about traditional Japanese arts, you must have certainly seen what Japanese prints are (wood engraving), or already seen Hokusai's famous painting The Great Wave of Kanagawa which is part of his series “36 views of Mount Fuji” . It is true that these Japanese woodcuts bearing the ukiyo-e style (image of the floating world) are very recognized in Japan and even now throughout the world as part of the history of art. Beyond a specific technique or pretty drawings, prints are for artists a real activity which is part of a way of life and a Zen philosophy as promoted by traditional Japanese culture.

Prints emerged during the Edo period (1603-1868) and quickly became popular due to their production which is actually quite inexpensive given that the printing process simply consists of reprinting the canvas via a printer once. once the engraving of the latter was made. You may not be aware, but making a print is actually a job that involves not one artist, but three different people. The first person who comes into play when creating a print such as this Japanese Crane Print is the artist/designer who will be in charge of drawing the future canvas to be printed. Once the latter has completed his work, the engraver will then break down the canvas into its different colors and make an engraving on a wooden plaque for each of them. Finally, the printer will use the wood engravings that were made by the engraver beforehand and print said canvas on a sheet. We could also mention a fourth person who is not directly involved in making the print but who is there. This person is the editor whose mission will be to synchronize the work of the artist, the engraver and the printer but also to search for new talents still wandering in nature.

Concerning the drawings on the prints we tend to find illustrations of the life of the merchant bourgeoisie with their centers of interest. This explains why in the majority of cases they involve sumo wrestlers, erotic acts or even landscapes. Secondly, prints finally experienced a loss of interest during the 19th century because they were considered too focused on the vices and pleasures of life. However, during this time Japan opened its doors to international trade which made it possible to show the whole world what these wonderful woodcuts were. This explains why we now find paintings similar to this Japanese Crane Print, very characteristic of this style of traditional engraving which dates back several hundred years. After this long introduction to the world of Japanese prints, we suggest that you refocus on this canvas which is, we make it clear, a reproduction of a print, and not a print made via the engraving process explained above.

What makes this Japanese Crane Print different from Japanese paintings?

Given that this canvas was made using a printing process similar to that of the Japanese paintings present in our other collections, it is legitimate to question this distinction between the wall decoration that is a print and a painting. This is actually a difference from the point of view of style and main colors, but also from the fact that reproductions of prints like this Japanese Crane Print come from an artist. This print is therefore an exact replica of his original work unlike the paintings which are for many anonymous creations with authors of no notoriety, which does not prevent us from having magnificent canvases with the effigy of the country. of the rising Sun and its ancestral culture.

Why install this Japanese print in your home?

Before offering you a point-by-point listing of this Japanese Crane Print and giving you some advice for displaying it in your home and highlighting it as it should, we would just like to explain some advantages and the symbolic importance to have a Japanese print at home.

Introduction to a Zen lifestyle

Coming straight from Japanese painters of the time but above all from a current of thought and a Zen philosophy, prints like this are not simply a decorative touch intended to bring color into a decor. piece. These are paintings which convey belonging to a community in accordance with this way of living according to the moral codes of medieval Japan (associated with samurai, geishas, ​​etc.). That is to say, taking advantage of the present moment and the things that we might not necessarily have paid attention to. The literary translation of the word ukiyo-e is "image of the floating world", which can be understood as an illustration of ephemeral things that are not made to last. Therefore, it is essential to take the time to appreciate these things and not constantly get stuck in the past or the future.

After reviewing the symbolic side of this Japanese Crane Print , it is important to mention that it must please its owner and those who choose to display it in their home. On this note, here is how to highlight it in order to sublimate it in the best possible way.

How to highlight this Japanese Crane Print ?

The first thing to do in order to highlight this print and nicely decorate your home is to choose the room which will be intended to accommodate it. Once done, analyze the layout of this same room as well as its furniture to decide which wall you want to hang it on. To do this, make sure you have space around the canvas and if you can have a wall or wallpaper that has colors that will contrast this Japanese Crane Print to make it stand out. When you have chosen the wall intended to accommodate this print, you can move on to the last step which is the choice of the frame.

In order to make your choice, you will most of the time have several choices which correspond to frames with wide or, on the contrary, quite narrow edges. It will depend above all on your personal tastes to make your choice but you must certainly be careful to choose a frame which will not be too large depending on the size of the canvas so as not to crush it and so that its design can be to see and be highlighted. In addition, try to choose a frame that recalls certain shades of your interior decoration and if you can, which has nuances that complement those of this Japanese Crane Print .