Art Around the World World Art    

Lesson 3: Tenma Bridge in Setsu Province

by Katsushika Hokusai

Directions

Study the artwork for one week.

Over the week:

• Examine the artwork.
• Read the synopsis.
• Study the vocabulary words.
• Recite the artist and artwork names.
• Read about the art region or artist.
• Complete the enrichment activities.
• Discuss the review questions.

Synopsis

Katsushika Hokusai's 'Tenma Bridge in Setsu Province' shows a throng of people crossing the graceful arch of a lantern-lit bridge. More lanterns light a fleet of boats being pushed by polemen below. Warm light shines from the windows of the homes on the river. Roofs peep through the foliage in the foreground. Like 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa,' this work is a woodblock print. Rather than being painted directly upon paper with a brush, the image is carved in relief from wood, similar to a rubber stamp. Ink is applied to the wooden block, and then the block is pressed upon paper.

Vocabulary

Province: A principal administrative division of certain countries or empires.
Lantern: A lamp with a transparent case protecting the flame or electric bulb, and typically having a handle by which it can be carried or hung.
Polemen: People who push boats through water using poles.

Concepts

1. Katsushika Hokusai was born in 1760 in Edo, Japan (present-day Tokyo). See his self-portrait below.

2. Zoom in and find Hokusai's country of birth on the map of Asia below.

3. Hokusai started painting at age six, perhaps because his father was an artisan who made mirrors. At age 14, he apprenticed with a wood-carver. At age 18, he worked in an art studio where he learned ukiyo-e, but suffered much embarrassment under his master.
4. Hokusai changed his name multiple times over his lifetime. Names included Shunrō, Tawaraya Sōri, Taito, and litsu.
5. Hokusai is best-known for his woodblock print series 'Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji,' which includes his most famous work, 'The Great Wave off Kanagawa.'
6. Hokusai died in 1849 at the age of 88.

Enrichment

Activity 1: Can You Find It?

Find the following in the artwork:

• Bridge
• Lanterns on the Bridge
• Boats
• Lanterns on the Boats
• People
• Polemen
• Foliage
• Houses
• Roofs
• Lit Windows

Activity 2: Narrate the Artwork

• After studying the artwork, narrate the scene shown aloud using your own words.

Activity 3: Complete Vocabulary Activities

• While studying the vocabulary words, point out any you see in the print.
• Define each of the vocabulary words in your own words.

Activity 4: Color the Artwork   

• Click the crayon above, and complete page 8 of 'Art History Coloring Pages for Second Grade.'

Review

Question 1

What is the setting of the artwork?

1 / 3

Answer 1

A curved bridge over the water in Setsu Province, Japan.

1 / 3

Question 2

Who are the characters in the artwork?

2 / 3

Answer 2

The characters are the people crossing the bridge, the passengers in the boats, and the polemen propelling the boats.

2 / 3

Question 3

How was this print and other woodblock prints created?

3 / 3

Answer 3

The image is carved in relief out of wood. Ink is applied to the wooden block, and then the block is pressed upon paper.

3 / 3

❮ ❯

1. What is the setting of the artwork? A curved bridge over the water in Setsu Province, Japan.
2. Who are the characters in the artwork? The characters are the people crossing the bridge, the passengers in the boats, and the polemen propelling the boats.
3. How was this print and other woodblock prints created? The image is carved in relief out of wood. Ink is applied to the wooden block, and then the block is pressed upon paper.

References

'Hokusai.' Wikipedia. Wikipedia.org. n.p.