Roland DG has partnered with an interactive art exhibition in Tokyo to produce a high-resolution digital reproduction of renowned artist Katsushika Hokusai’s ceiling painting titled ‘Phoenix Glaring in All Directions.’
Phoenix Glaring in All Directions at Gansho-in Temple in Nagano
“The remarkable artwork is currently featured in the main hall of Gansho-in Temple in Obuse, Nagano Prefecture,” Roland DG said. “Renowned artist Hokusai, who passed away at the age of 90, painted this work in his final years, and it is said to be the largest painting of its kind (5.5m in depth × 6.3m in width)."
The high-resolution digital reproduction - printed on a VersaUV LEC2-640 UV Printer Cutter - will be exhibited as the centrepiece of the "Digital x Hokusai" interactive art exhibition to be held from June 2, 2022 in Tokyo, Japan.
The ceiling painting was digitised by Ars Techne Corporation., a partner of NTT ArtTechnology, using its patented technology DTIP, a high-definition three-dimensional texture image processing technology. Ars Techne estimated and restored incomplete painting areas and performed multi-layer processing for each texture. Based on this high-precision data, of approximately 30 billion pixels, Roland DG output the image in its original size by using a VersaUV LEC2-640.
"Our LEC2-640 UV inkjet printer [pictured above] was used to print the reproduction of the original painting,” said Kohei Tanabe, president, Roland DG.
“This project required not only a wide colour gamut and accurate colour reproduction, but also the need to faithfully reproduce the texture of the paint and the brushwork done by hand, the brilliance of the gold leaf, and the reflections of the oil and smoke ink, which is a unique highlight of this work. The expressive power of our UV inkjet printer, that is capable of printing special effects, was indispensable in this process."
Manabu Kunieda, president and CEO of NTT ArtTechnology said: "By utilising digital technology, we can now view artwork that previously could only be seen on site, in an environment that is accessible to all, regardless of space, distance, or time. This will not only protect valuable cultural assets, but also open up new possibilities for the enjoyment of culture and the arts and will lead to an interaction among people and regional revitalisation."
