FAQ

FAQ

WHAT IS JAPANESE WOODBLOCK PRINTING/MOKUHANGA?

Mokuhanga is the traditional water-based printing technique from carved woodblocks.

With a long tradition in Japan, the ancient method became popular in the  Edo period (1603 to 1867) with an increasing bourgeois class as a way to make affordable, good quality, mass-produced art prints, and books.

During that time, ’Ukiyo-e’ was the most popular Japanese printing genre, depicting images of a floating world, such as motifs from historical tales, portraits of kabuki actors and beautiful women, landscapes, and erotic pictures.

Towards the end of 19th century, European artists discovered the art of Japanese woodblock printing and became extremely enthusiastic about it in regard to its content as well a style. There was a sense of compositional freedom, asymmetry and irregularity, a use of vivid colours and strong contours deeply influenced by European art, especially the Impressionist and Post-Impressionists art movements.

HOW ARE THE JAPANESE WOOD-BLOCK PRINTS MADE?

Woodblock printing was a complex process with three to four stages, each one usually performed by a different person. An artist was responsible for painting the design in ink onto a piece of paper. Carvers then meticulously carved these drawings into multiple woodblocks, with a separate block for each colour. Printers then inked the blocks with different pigments and printed the final version onto handmade paper, layering one colour over another using the various blocks.

SHOP UPDATES

There is no set schedule, instead, I’ll post any announcements of when there will be via my Instagram page. For the best chance of obtaining something I strongly suggest signing up for my newsletter and/or following me on Instagram.

My online shop is usually restocked in small batches from time to time. I don’t follow any specific timelines and announcements for when they’ll go live can be found on my Instagram page or by signing up for my newsletter. If you’d like a more concrete answer please get in touch.

DO YOU DO COMMISSIONED WORK?

Yes, the studio is a bespoke art & design studio, open for woodblock carving and printing commissions, reproductions and bespoke design projects. Please, get in contact for further information and if you wish to discuss the artwork.

Commissions are most welcome, please email contact@mareikebesch.com

CARING FOR YOUR PRINTS

All prints for sale are original and signed artworks.

Some pieces may appear differently from the pictured images on the website. Especially the faint watercolours and pigments I print with are difficult to capture digitally true to their original. Digitally the colours appear more crisp than the original paintwork.

All of my prints and artworks are handmade and therefore subtle differences are expected from item to item. On prints listed as editions, there might be slight differences as pictured.