Tim McCormack – East Meets West: The Influence and Enduring Appeal of Japanese Printmaking Traditions (Recording)

Step into the visual dialogue between Japan’s Edo-era art and the Western painters it inspired. In this presentation, artist and educator Tim McCormack traces how the elegant lines, asymmetrical compositions, and flattened color fields of Ukiyo-e woodblock prints and calligraphic ink drawings captivated and transformed the work of European and American painters—from Manet, Degas, Mary Pratt, and Van Gogh to Alex Katz and other modern stylists.

With a fascination with cross-cultural connections, Tim brings both art-historical insight and painterly perspective to the enduring appeal of Japanese printmaking traditions. You’ll see how the poetic restraint and brushwork of artists like Hokusai, Kuniyoshi, and Hiroshige opened new worlds for Western artists seeking emotional intensity, graphic punch, and fresh ways of seeing. And how Japanese artists such as Hokusai were inspired and influence by western artists, and western perspectives. It’s a cross cultural art dialogue that continues to this day including from manga and museum painting.

Join us for a lively visual journey across centuries and continents—complete with brush demonstrations, and stories of artistic exchange. Whether you’re a lover of Japanese aesthetics, a fan of Post-Impressionism, or a curious painter yourself, this is a chance to see both traditions in new light.