GYOTAKU

 Gyotaku – Brief historical perspective on my practice

Back when there were no cameras for fishermen to record their trophy catches, the Japanese came up with a unique printing method called Gyotaku. Gyo means fish, and Taku means impression, and the technique involved just that – using freshly caught fish to make inky impressions on paper. They would rub the fish they caught with the non-toxic ink and then print them on rice paper. Most of the time the fish was then washed and eaten, and on special occasions the print would be offered to the guest of honor - alongside the dish prepared - and maybe embellished with a verse or a few chosen Kanji characters.

A well executed Gyotaku yields an image so accurate and detailed that it can be used for scientific study, it can therefore be classified as Nature Printing or printing directly from nature. The Japanese therefore give a symbolic charge to the Gyotaku in so far as this printing technique lends another lease of life to the Kami (or soul) of the animal. Like a Haiku, the Gyotaku captures the moment, with surgical precision and artful faith.

To produce my prints, I have studied and honored the ancient Japanese technique, inking a fresh fish (or lobster) and taking its impression by hand on a large piece of paper. Then I transferred the unique print to create a photopolymer plate ; using modern techniques alongside an ancient one produces an image that is a hybrid of both traditions, yet unique and original.

In my “Gyotaku” I have added texture, scars and marks to the initial imprint. The characteristic reddish spot of the John Dory has become a rising sun of faded orange hue, reminiscent of the imperial flag.

Thanks to the photosensitivity of the photopolymer plate, I have been able to create, from nature and from drawing, a plate that can be used several times instead of the one-off print of the traditional Gyotaku.

In order to close the circle, I pulled a series of prints on Washi paper – the same kind of soft yet very resistant paper used in Japan to create “fish prints”. The result is a very poetic and light-filled rendition of my original “Gyotaku”. Other prints have been pulled on Somerset paper with stencils and chine collé, hereby re-introducing an element of serendipity and uniqueness to the process.

My prints are signed with a stamp spelling “Gyotaku” in Chinese Kanji writing and a Yin/Yang round stamp in shape of two fish to represent the yin and yang of Tao philosophy, the two opposites of nature.

So as not to distract from the image, I have signed them either on the reverse side or on the frame, with name and date. They are simply initialed on the front.

My “Lobster” linoprint also started as a Gyotaku and hence it is life-size. In transferring the print to linoleum, I have sought more abstraction and less realism in the drawing so the result is very different.

In my prints, I combine different traditions, techniques and influences to create a unique work of art, hereby pulling an original print every time.

A note on photopolymer etching:

Photopolymer (or solar plate) etching is a technique developed for industrial printing that is now used by artists. It allows me to expose a plate with photograph or drawing: The exposed parts harden and the un-exposed ones wash away, which leaves me with an intaglio plate of great robustness and amazing detailing. This allows me to make editions of my Gyotaku prints.