FROM THE ART  STUDIO 

Japanese Students Create Mementos of their Visit in the Art Room

It was a pleasure to welcome the students and teachers from Tohrei Gakuen High School to the visual art class during their stay at St Augustine’s.

I spoke to them about Indigenous Australian art and the particular X-ray style art found in Northern Australia in places like Arnhem land and Kakadu National Park. The boys were then shown some of the artworks created by former Indigenous Saints students using a relief printmaking technique. 

This technique of relief carving wood to make multiple copies of an image originated in Japan and its people have a rich cultural tradition of wood-block printmaking as demonstrated by the works of one of Japan’s most famous artists Katsushika Hokusai. Hokusai lived during the 19th century and his prints have had a huge impact on Western art by its influence on the impressionist painters Edouard Manet, Claude Monet and Vincent Van Gogh.

Our visitors printed their own copy of one of our student's works of a kangaroo, barramundi, saratoga fish or a crocodile.

They seemed to really enjoy this activity and will take home a unique memento of their visit to Australia.