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Dec 1, 2014 | By Alec

It goes without saying that 3D printing technology is an amazing creative outlet for any modern artists, though it might take a while before its reputation matches that of paintbrushes and chisels. But who says that 3D printed art has to be (post)modern and revolutionary. Sometimes reaching back to the artistic giants of our past can lead to as, or even more, beautiful results.

This 3D printed sculpture, that was on display at the Tokyo Designers Week 2014 a month ago, perfectly illustrates that. It has something of everything; chaotically modern, it combines references to contemporary Japanese manga culture with a touch of something that might be referred to as Tim Burton-esque. Yet it also, in its design, appearance and usage of ancient lettering, reaches back to one of the fathers of Japanese ukiyo-e art: Katsushika Hokusai.

For those of you who've never heard of him, Katsushika Hokusai, a Japanese artist specializing in woodblock print painting art known as ukiyo-e. Even if you've never heard of that type of art, you've definitely seen it before and might call it 'typical early Japanese art' or something along those lines. One of the main forms of artistic expression during Japan's Edo period (1603-1867), it generally displays traditionally dressed women, scenes from Japanese history and culture, landscapes and even erotica. Original paintings were often copied as woodblock carvings, allowing numerous copies to be made.

And Katsushika Hokusai is one of the most renowned ukiyo-e artists in history, who established himself as Japan's foremost artist in the early 19th century with a series of prints now known as Hokusai Manga. The most famous of these is his The Great Wave off Kanagawa which, along with several other paintings, even found its way to museums throughout the west. His style of painting has reportedly even inspired artists Monet, Whistler, Cezanne, and Van Gogh.

Every year, a renowned artist is chosen to inspire the entries to one exhibition at the Tokyo Design Week, and this year the "Hokusai Manga Inspired Exhibition" featured art of 53 Japanese artists inspired by Katsushika Hokusai, of which this gorgeous 3D printed statue was one.

It has been made by designers of the Japanese company INTEGRAL VISION, a design collective that creates expressions through a variety of traditional and modern methods, obviously including 3D printing. As Shusuke Osanai, INTEGRAL VISION's Chief Computer Graphics Designer explained, the sculpture 'expresses the merging of past and present. Advancement in technology brings us new forms of entertainment and art that we have never seen, but I believe there is always something to learn from the past.' And to give shape to those traditional inspirations, this sculpture combines new and traditional materials as well as modern and classic characters into a 3D printed shape.

Interestingly, this doesn't just mean imitating ancient styles in 3D, as the sculpture also incorporates paper from the Edo period to ensure a traditional look. The sculpture itself was first designed using Maya and Zbrush, and finally 3D printed as 45 separate pieces and an additional 40 samurai sword models.

All in all, the model is a very impressive 43 cm tall, and had been 3D printed using an Up! plus 2 3D printer in ABS plastic. While this resulted in a few grainy layers on the surfaces, these would be covered in Edo-period paper anyway.

Once everything was printed and assembled, the INTEGRAL VISION team took a series of Edo-period books apart. Pages with letters were carefully torn and glued onto the 3D printed rocks of the model, and the swords surrounding it, to give it a very traditional, ukiyo-e feel. 'The reason why it looks so old is because the paper is actually about 200 years old.' Osanai explained. Finally, textures and details reminiscent of Japanese calligraphy were added using India ink and a simple brush (how's that for artistic?), applied using the streaky brush stroke technique known as kasure.

And, as the pictures illustrate, the results are absolutely stunning. Both the traditional and the modern influences can clearly be discerned, making this a truly inspiring 3D printed sculpture. Who says 3D printing can't be a form of art?

 

Posted in 3D Printing Applications

 

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