Have students read the biographies of Hokusai and Hiroshige. Students should respond to the questions listed above and record their observations for later use. Assemble the class for a whole group discussion of students' observations. Conclude the discussion by highlighting the distinctive elements of Asian landscapes and summarizing students ideas on techniques that might be used to achieve such effects. Ask students to try to link information they learned from the biographical sketches to the artists' work.
Students create water color landscapes in the style of the classical Asian landscapes they viewed.
This site has resources on a variety of Chinese art forms, including paintings, pottery, and calligraphy. This site includes both pictures by Hiroshige, a Japanese artist who worked during the early to mid-1800s, and a brief biography and discussion of his work.