Mar. 2006, by Susan Twombly
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Digital precision
As artists discover the power and precision of HP digital printing solutions, fine art reproduction is becoming a fast-growing market. Artists, galleries and museums around the globe are welcoming digital technology into their worlds for art reproduction, photo reproduction, catalogs, personalized art books, posters on demand and even postcards.
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Prowling tigers. Zen temples. Ancient traditions. Art captures more about a culture than any history book ever could. Adorning the walls, sliding screens and ceilings of Kyoto's temples, shrines and palaces for hundreds of years, Japan's historical and religious art captures the spirit and beauty of one of the world's richest cultures.
Preserving that spirit means protecting these treasures, some of which date back more than 800 years. Yet, these original artworks are in danger of being lost forever, ravaged by the effects of time, climate and the environment.
Today, HP is helping Japan preserve its heritage through the Kyoto Digital Archive Project. Working with the Kyoto International Culture Foundation (KICF), HP is creating digital reproductions of paintings that will keep the spirit alive for future generations of citizens and the 40 million visitors who travel there annually.
Using digital printing technology, many of these images are now being exhibited outside of Japan, offering the rest of the world a rare glimpse of ancient Japanese traditions. At special events throughout New York City, including the ARTExpo annual trade show, onlookers can view the first series of reproductions — unveiled with all the rich colors and delicate details that characterize Japanese art.
Almost indistinguishable from the originals, the digital reproductions enable us to experience the majesty of a period gone by, while the originals remain safe in a secure, controlled environment.
Kyoto is often called "Japan's heartland," and many say it is impossible to know the real Japan without knowing Kyoto. So, it's no wonder that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) declared 17 ancient temples and shrines in the area as World Heritage Sites and Kyoto a World Heritage City — areas around the globe considered to be of outstanding value to humanity.
That's why KICF wanted the latest digital technology to preserve this legacy, from a company with its own legacy in imaging and printing and computer technology: HP. Reproducing these artifacts, while maintaining their integrity, was key to success.
HP set to work in the Summer of 2005, combining modern printing science and ink technology with traditional Japanese craftsmanship to capture the color intensity and precise detail of the original art.
HP put together an end-to-end solution for capturing, printing, sharing and storing the images, including HP servers, workstations, laptops, digital projectors and printers. At the core, was an HP Designjet 5500 UV (ultraviolet) printer, HP 83 UV Ink supplies and specialty media — all working together as a total digital fine arts printing solution.
HP engineers and color scientists collaborated with KICF staff, graphic designers and local artisans. Working at the ancient sites, the team captured images of artwork with a high-resolution digital camera and scanners, then imported them into a software program running on HP graphics workstations.
To match original colors down to the finest pixel, the team produced high-definition International Color Consortium (ICC) color profiles, a specification considered an international standard for color management.
By chronicling Japan's colorful culture in such detail, the team breathed life into these reproduced masterpieces — capturing the swishing gold and black tail stripes and bursts of bamboo-green foliage seen Tanyu Kano's "Tigers" and "Tiger Drinking Water." Part of a multi-panel painting located in Kyoto's Nanzenji Temple, these were some of the first digitally-created prints to be exhibited.
The large-format Designjet 5500 UV printer, chosen for its uncompromising image quality by many graphic artists and photographers around the world, produced images with sharp details and superb, color-rich quality.
Also known for its flexibility, the Designjet 5500 UV printer supports a wide range of media. This feature was important to preserving the integrity of art from the period: KICF wanted to print images on authentic Washi media, a delicate material made from the inner bark of mulberry trees. HP UV inks, specially formulated to resist fading, provide the added benefit of ultraviolet protection for long-lasting images.
Successfully combining tradition with technology, KICF's craftsmen applied delicate kirikane (cut gold leaf) motifs to the prints, a 1200-year-old decorative technique and a final step in reproduction.
The result? High-quality, near-identical reproductions and lightfastness that would protect the legacy of this temple art for many generations to come.
These first digitally created works are just part of a long-term strategic alliance between HP and KICF to preserve Kyoto's history. In fact, the multi-year reproduction program will span Japan's 3,500 temples and shrines, with the first series focusing on artwork created between the 13th and 17th centuries. HP ProLiant servers will be on the job to archive the massive digital files such an undertaking will create.
Faced with the deterioration of its national treasures, KICF will start displaying reproductions at many of these sites and at other key events over the next few years. As visitors look upon images of "The Five Great Guardian Gods of Buddhism" or the "Landscape of Katata," they can rest assured that the originals are being safeguarded — thanks to a Kyoto Digital Archive Project that enables history to survive and be shared in all its colorful and detailed glory.
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