Arts of Japan- Wang FA22 Final Notes

Waka Poetry

"Japanese poetry" a type of poetry in classical Japanese literature written in Kana (Japanese script). - variations: common form is 31 syllables, arranged in five lines of 5/7/5/7/7 syllables respectively

Tokugawa Shogunate

- a time where Japanese isolation took place - permitted trade and interactions with foreigners, specifically Chinese and Duth - In art world, japanese porcelain opened a window for Chinese culture to flow in infiltrate in a limited way - no diplomatic interaction between Japan and outside world for another couple hundred years

Society of Jesus (Jesuits)

- an order of Catholic priests and brothers - founded by St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552) - scholarly order, priests are highly educated, linguists, well traveled (missionary goals of Jesuits, share Catholicism around the world) - Xavier led first Catholic missionary to Japan in 1549 - medieval looking, added japanese calligraphy combined with western art style - During time of Daimyo Toyotomi, he banned missionaries during Momoyama period of 1573-1603

Momoyama Period

The period in Japanese history between 1568 and 1603 that was dominated by two ruthless but culturally sophisticated shoguns who followed the dissolution of the Ashikaga family's hold on power.

Maruyama-Shijo School

The realists of Kyoto, Maruyama Okyo (1733-1795) and Matsumura Goshun (1752-1811) (student of Okyo), studio on Shijo Street

Mavo magazine, 7 issues, 1924-25

a radical Japanese art group that started to take on new art forms; responded to industrial development and touched on ideas of crisis, peril, and uncertainty, wanted to reintegrate art into daily life and rebelled against establishment by combining industrial products with painting or print making; deployed theatrical eroticism, mocked public norms, and protests against social injustice

Ike Taiga, Man Eating Sweet Potatoes, 18th century, ink on paper

- "He who wishes to be unpopular should sweet potatoes eat. He who desires to be successful must his well-being guard" - not a literary reference - quickly painted, dark black and light gray for dimension, few dips into ink - calligraphy is not Kanji, written in Kana, Japanese script, not a classical subject - versatile art style of Ike Taiga like traditional Chinese of Enjoying the Moon in a Riverside cottage (10/31) - not a monk, not official, just an artist

Fugai Ekun (1568-1654), Daruma crossing the river, late 1500s-early 1600, Momoyama period (1573-1615) or Edo Period (1600-1868), ink on paper, hanging scroll

- Daruma aka Bodhidharma, commonly seen in Zenga paintings - performed a miracle of crossing the mighty river in China, stepping on a single weed and float across, possible mistranslation of him traveling on a boat made up of weeds - foot is small on a weed, similar to bamboo - rendered face is detailed with bulging eyes, furrowed eyebrows compared to the simplified and spontaneous robe and surroundings

Hasegawa Tohaku, Monkeys, ink on paper, remounted on hanging scrolls, 16th Century

- Done for temple Comparison Muqi (Chinese), Triptych: Guanyin, Gibbon and Crane, undated, S Song Dynasty, Hanging Scroll, ink and color on silk - Buddhist Painting, Guanyin- chinese version of Kannon in Buddhist pantheon - East Asia is more feminized, ambiguous gender - because by making figure more gender neutral, more widely appealing to all - n

Sakoku

- During the Tokugawa shogunate in Japan, the policy of closing the country to foreign trade with Europe and encouraging domestic production of goods that had previously been imported. - "chained" country- the isolationist foreign policy of the Japanese Tokugawa shogunate of the Edo Period, but limited trade with China, Korea, and the Dutch was permitted - urbanization during Edo period while Daimyo moved to the capital (local lords relocated so Shogun can keep an eye on them)

Katsushika Hokusai, The Great Wave of Kanagawa (from 36 views of Mt. Fuji, full-color woodblock print, 1829-1833.

- Edo Period - Mount Fuji in the background = Shinto beliefs in Japan - The rise in landscape views in Ukiyo-e- Landscape= waves "Capsizing" the canoe with men - Menacing wave "claw-like" flow- Not elite art forms, availible for the common people - Mass market for art for the people, no need for elite status to consume

Maruyama Okyo, Pine Trees in the Snow, pair of six-panel screens; ink, color, and gold on paper, 18th century

- Maruyama-Shijo school - Pine trees: chinese literati, strength and endurance, metaphors for principle nature of one's mind, longevity - dimension of seasonal change - interested in notion of ephemerality, fleeting actions - cyclical change, depreciation of natural elements - hardy and persistent through weather change, leaves and trees are covered in snow but full of leaves still - Kimono merchant family, Mitsui, extension of slight change of patrons art, middle class, merchant class, wealthy and important during this time of trade, hand in shaping development of art, enjoyed literary subjects, traditional, done in a way that is more aesthetically pleasing and decorative (school learned), influences from chinese painting Tsuketate: a japanese type of "boneless" technique that eschews outline for using ink and color to create the illusion of volume - strong calligraphic outline omitted, use shapes, washes, and patches of ink to convey details of form,

Kano Sansetsu, Old Plum, 1645, ink, color, gold leaf on paper, fusuma

- Similar to cypress tree, instead of leafy branches, we have flowering branches - emphasized plum flowers, sense of seasonal nature, late spring, summer, tree that has grown with age and elements, battered through age, can see personality of the tree and how it grows, curves, dips, and goes back up. - branches are uneven, tree trunk has more branches than others, realism, wisdom, jaded, regardless of ones age, tree still blooms, symbolic element of nature- metaphor for human condition - gold leaf common technique of Kano school to give luxurious quality - luminosity of gold leaf can reflect on light in castle

Hakuin Etaku, Bodhidharma, late 17 to mid 18th century, ink on paper, haging scroll, Edl Period, Seals: Rinzai Shoshu, Hakuin, Etaku

- Zenga painting - no body, just quick rendering of face of Bodhidharma - single brushstroke - The sect of Zen Buddhism emphasized meditation and koan practices (illogical stories or phrases to break us away from irrational thinking) - seen as a way to break us out of ordinary actions - untrained painter, what really matters is the emotional connection between the artists and the subject, being able to connect to the Bodhidharma - not labored, not perfected, imperfection and spontaneous strokes and pieces are part of Zen Buddhism - used as a tool for illiterate people, don't need much to convey who he was, spontaneous enlightenment through meditation - vertical or horizontal format, quickly executed

Mustard Seed Garden Manual of Painting

- a printed manual of Chinese painting that compiled during the early Qing Dynasty (1679-1701) that entered Japan during the Edo PEriod - democratization of art - proliferation of painting manuals, how to paint, merchant class or above could afford, most popular manual was the Mustard Seed Garden Manual - how to paint people, flowers, landscapes, etc.

Literati Painting in Japan

- based on Chinese classification - became well known for his painting theories, Dong Qichang's "Northern School" aka Academic style versus "Southern School" , not geographical, just classifications of painting - Northern School: academic style, paintings that show skill and complex, larger, grand, more detail of landscape, under court tradition and workshops, played by the rules, but not creative or individualistic - Southern School: Bunjinga "Literati Painting" aka Nanga "Southern Painting," more creative, innovative, outside of tradition, based on who they were and their status - Literati: the educated elite, no necessarily wealth, civil servants appointed by the emperor to perform duties of governance, highly valued people in society, just under the emperor, to be one, you must be appointed by emperor based on your score on an exam

Bonsai

- be outdoors without being outdoors - tend and care to them, can be grown in different conditions to be designed - manifestation of wabi sabi

Tokuyama (IKE) Gyokuran (1727-1764), Peony and Bamboo by a Rock, 1768, hanging scroll, ink and color on paper

- both belongs to literati and bird and flower painting (Chinese genre style) because of more decorative, more insects, small things, microcosmic subjects, done in a fine outline style rather than a monochromatic ink style - bamboo was frequently painted by literati, simple plant that you can use calligraphic brush strokes to paint - fairly low hanging fruit to master - symbolic quality for its strength, usually hard to break, flexible but doesn't give, tools must be used to chop it down, enduring, and unassuming - Peony for beauty, delicate flower, blossoms during certain seasons, rarity, auspicious, similar to plum and cherry blossoms, a sign of the times, generally well loved for its form - rocks are a common east asian painting motifs, enduring, speaks to notion of mental and physical strength, not very beautiful but eternal, permanent objects in our landscape - look naturalistic - artist was born into a well-respected family compared to her husband, mother and adopted grandma were female poets (waka), trained in the arts before marriage, social hierarchy- husband married above, took over parent's tea shop and served as a hub for artists and other folks in cultural world, exposed at artists at all times, trained by famous bujinga artist in Kyoto who may have given her name - her partnerships led to certain developments in her work, i.e. rock is very sharp, rough calligraphic stroke, slates out and tapers in, influenced by her husband, adopt literati style a bit more closely - earthly connection of the form, a little bit of blue behind the peony to offset the massive flower, a bit up top to highlight the bamboo comparison: mustard garden seed manual had a similar example that may have helped Tokuyama develop her composition

Tawaraya Sotatsu (late 16th, early 17th century), Thunder God (Fujin) and Wind God (Raijin), folding screens (byobu), color, gold leaf, and ink

- complete gold leaf background - four panels, two each - two deities from either side of composition as if they would fly in and converge in middle - weather is coming, thunder and wind, - more demonic than normal human - wild hair, bulging eyes, animalistic - can tell who they are by attributes, clappers = thunder god juggling clappers that make thunder sound, bag of wind = wind god flapping around bag of wind to make sound and induce winds - objects and hair in motion, carrying puffs of clouds with them, painted dark= tarashikomi (wet ink and color smudged) - having fun with the storm - not naturalistic, sense of animation, supernatural space that converges, artistic rendering of dynamism - folkloric, indigenous japanese subjects and matters, taking note from earlier painting traditions - gold leaf, screen format, subject matter, reminder of demonic guardian figures at buddhist temples - no attempt at depth, plain flat surface with subjects on top, japanese characteristic

Nagasawa Rosetsu, White Elephant and Black Bull, ink and gold paint on paper, pair of six-fold screens, 18th century

- delightful portrayal of the animals - occupies the entire composition, the entire mass, barely fits, almost like a cage - puppy dog again - Edo Period - Studied in Europe and brought back Chiarscuro in Japanese form - Large eyed, cute animals - Contrast between study of a powerful animal and small animal

Kano School

- founded by Kano Masanobu during the Muromachi period (1434-1530) - school- group of painters who worked under the influence of one person or persons of one city/province who for successive generations worked under some common local influence

Matsumura Goshun, Seventy-two Peaks Against the Blue Sky, eight-panel folding screen, ink with gold and silver foil on paper, 1785

- glittery but not colorful - silver leafing on top of gold, no sparing of materials, luminosity of the silver and gold playing off of each other - rhythm, similar to irises, zigzag across landscape - size is 20 in height, by 108 inches - uses monochromatic ink, many peaks against "blue sky," left to imagine that the gold is the blue sky, so clear it looks golden - deliberately spaced dots - decorative scheme - no reference to specific location - no contours of the subject itself, painting just splits in the middle in abstract way, suggestive horizon line - "ahead of his time"

Edo Period

- last period of traditional japanese history before modern period -painting 1 -1603-1868 -ruled by shoguns, shogunates -Tokugawa Ieyasu, founding shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate (1542-1616) was a warrior, statesman, and eventually a shogun - lost his father in battle but became a successful military leader and proclaimed himself as a shogun -Pyramid: emperor, court nobility, shogun, daimyo, samurai, peasants, craftsmen, merchants - with shogunates in power, emperor and court nobility had no power, military power at the top and the common people at the bottom - merchants and business people as skeptical, to make money off of people= not contributing much to society, at the bottom -edo period craftsman and artisans gain power and social capital because a way to maintain social order, Tokugawa shogunates forced Daimyos to relocate to Edo (Tokyo) every other year and return home to take care of their affairs, Tokyo became an urban center; Shoguns could keep an eye on these regional feudal lords, can't engage in social chaos or battles with one another, unable to build up together to attack shoguns

Nanban Painting "southern barbarians"

- local japanese people gawking at foreigners who are walking through the town -curiosity of the outsiders and local people -anonymous screen painting, can see that it is 6 panels, normal configuration -gold leaf style and clouds, hip and gable roof architecture, city street, shows the typical local people -westerns disrupting everyday life, painted in japanese style - japanese ladies walking in front of procession, possibly leading foreigners dressed in curious outfits, walking through, group of priests interacting with japanese people

Tokuyama (ike) Gyokuran, Akashi Bay, late 18th century, ink on paper sized, undated

- local subject, not a reference to Chinese locations or landscape, instead it is a distinctively japanese place - calligraphy gives us content of the location - undated, has signature and poetry - simple painting of three areas of landscape, similarly painted, difference in opaqueness and brushstroke, reversed convention of closest is darkest, possibly mistiness of water, more visibility for bay in the back - japanese script, kana, very fluid and has structure through vertical lines. comparison: Sesshu Toyo, Ama-no-Hashidate (The Bridge of Heaven), hanging scroll, ink and slight color on paper, 1503 - black and white highly detailed, ink monochrome painting,

Maruyama Okyo, Album of Insect Sketches (1733-1795)

- looks different employment of Japanese painting - Kanji - Hard to see that this is an Asian painting - Looks like a western scientific drawing - these works of art are meant to be scientific studies and anatomical sketches of insects Artist: enjoyed western art, the use of coloration, conventional use of colors, mineral pigments in asian paintings, colorful but attributes of a Japanese hand

Ogata Korin, Writing Box with Eight bridges, 18th century, gold lacquer on black lacquer with mother of pearl gold and silver

- made box with same iris and bridges painting, wrapped box in it almost like wrapping paper, black ribbon representing the bridge - beautiful and personal - contrast between hard-edged form and organic forms of the leaves and flowers - mother of pearl inlay in flowers - open up, water, ryusui unveiling itself - korin family made ceramics, textiles, in addition to painting

Hasegawa Tohaku, Pine Wood, 12-Panel Folding Screen, ink on paper, 16th cen

- monochromatic painting - lots of space used, very little ink, subtle washes to hint at atmosphere, hills, etc. - foggy, early morning, vision is clouded, as eyes adjust, might be able to see more details, almost like you are imagining what the forest feels like- endless but you can only see so much - not painted as Zen painting but was inspired by Zen Buddhism - one can see and one cannot see the man's relationship with the world - Chinese subjects important to JP aristocrats, particularly military aristocrats - sketch-like, loose brushwork, highly personalized/individualized scene, does not follow conventional ink paintings Comparison: Sesshu Toyo, Autumn and WInter Landscape, hanging scroll - ambiguity, foreground, middle ground, and horizon - Hasegawa omits the foreground, no suggestion of a horizon, simplification of monochromatic ink landscape language - loose brushwork - East Asian: calligraphy shouldn't compete with painting

Ogata Korin, Maple Leaves and Stream, ink and colors on gold paper, fan, 18th century

- more evocative - peculiar corner of the landscape - presumably a branch, suggestive branch with leaves on right corner - grassy hills - blue waterway, surrounds the hills, asymmetrical and thin ribbons of gold that connects the water to the background - almost childlike - few images to evoke something much grander, simplification prevents limitation of the audience's point of view - small forms of a haiku, opens up mind of a certain interpretation other than a small image, evoke a much greater universe for the reader comparison; Ma Yuan, late 12- early 13 century, Viewing Plum Blossoms by Moonlight, Southern Song (China), Fan Mounted as an Album Leaf, Ink and Slight Color on Silk - monochromatic - simplified landscape Japan took on a new take; no corners of landscape, just a few snippets, highly simplified, medium is ink and opaque colors on gold leaf, luxury object compared to just ink on silk - Haniwa Figures, simplified, awkward, child like

Kano Eitoku, Pine Trees and Crane, two of sixteen fusuma panels, 1566, Juko-in, at Daitoku-ji, Kyoto

- part of buddhist temple - conventional gentleman subjects (pine tree and crane= longevity) - heavy lower left corner, diagonal symmetry

The Individualists

- people who define themselves in terms of their own personal traits and give priority to their own goals - creativity and individualism of the artists' - "Three Eccentrics" - Not part of a school - Celebrate their talent

Ogata Korin, Plum Blossoms, ink and color on gold paper, fan, 1702

- personal luxury object, hold at their face at all time - aesthetic and poetic sensibility -accessory to outfit, conversation piece, something that says something about the person - might show that they have that original piece at home, this is a piece of that art, a collection - branch is more complex, assymetrical, corner fan-shape composition, extends beyond the frame - single flat red with small details of gold, same color as background, simple and evocative, the poetic quality of it; think about the seasons, about the spring

Ogata Korin, Irises at Eight Bridges, after 1709, pair of six panel folding screens, ink and color on gold leaf on paper

- protagonists was engaged in a long term love affair with a high ranking lady, then is banished, he stops by eight bridges and reflects on the scenery, field of purple irises, and prompts him to compose a nostalgic love poem on the spot - poem is about the irises but doesn't directly name them - "I wear robes with well-worn hems, reminding me of my dear wife I fondly think of always, so as my sojourn stretches on, ever farther from home, sadness fills my thoughts" Tales of Ise, translation by John T. Carpenter - visual device, connecting bridge, irises in a zigzag pattern, connected with a zig zag bridge that is flat and brown, painted so that the legs are laid out, confusing, texturing with blobbing technique, doesn't carry much detail for realistic form, moisture of atmosphere, tears almost, muddling vision, looking at bridge through teary eyes, bridge is offset by brilliancy of irises around the subject, painted in a specific way, forms are realistic, looks like they are cut out rather than painted naturally, no variation between them, really perfect - faint outline of the flowers and the leaves - patches of colors make up the painting, emphasize color and shape over black outlines - author: lived lavish lifestyle, well established in the arts, by the time he was middle aged, he had spent away his family fortunes, started to make a career and pay attention to business practices, move to Edo, sort of like the protagonists of leaving hometown, regrets of life, portrayed through painting - has another painting that has just irises, made in 1701-1702, more visually appealing, flat manner, naturalistic in the sense that they should be planted in a zig zag and not in a line, not symmetrical though, trailing off flowers, in a viewfinder, captured a much larger field of irises and chosen to just depict these, borders here look exactly like the original, small outline, not much tonal variation, small parts of two tones, but not much else, shows up on 5000 yen in Japan, a national treasure

Ogata Korin, Red and White Plum Blossoms, 18th century, pair of two fold screens, ink and gold leaf on paper

- purely decorative screen painting, departs form literary traditions - showing change of season, japanese revere flowering blossoms, coming of spring is a cultural and cyclical moment - trees are rendered in parts of the two trees, red plums in more entirety than the white tree, flowers themselves are not detailed, painted like irises of a single color and details on it, beauty comes from the blotchy tree trunk with its little notches and fractures, branches look aged and don't see much of it - central waterway, body of water, that connects the central panels down the center, fracturing in the middle, unsure of deliberacy, connection is done in a weird and bold way of asymmetry takes dominance, becomes animated and more important than the named subject of the blossoms - tree trunks uses tarashikomi, blotchy color and visual texture comparison: kano school; established the screen byobu tradition, use of gold leaf and combined of natural landscape - connects to continental precedents, slowly departing away, rimpa school departs, range of patrons who don't care of pine tree or symbolism, just beautiful subjects hasegawa school: a return to chinese monochromatic ink painting, simplicity is common between both, pine forest is omission of visual depth no horizon line, just hazy trees, ghostly atmosphere, abstraction is carried into the rimpa school, rimpa school was focused on subject matter not symbolic literary subjects like cypress trees (kano), wider range of subjects, simply beautiful and decorative themes, luxury items, gradual simplification of landscape

Kano Sansetsu, Six Chinese Immortals (reverse of Old Plum), Fusuma, gold and gold leaf on paper

- six mythological figures, come from Daoism, Chinese, carried over to Japan (not as important in JP) - literary and aristocratic circle, Chinese subject was very important to them. - borrowed subject from China - stories about their wisdom and how they can teach others (daoist values) - what they can convey to ordinary humans - gold leafing, if placed on mulberry paper- chinese painting, but placed on gold makes it Japanese

Maruyama Okyo, Cracked Ice, two fold screen, ink on paper, 1766, 60.5 cm x 182.10 cm

- small painting - tea ceremony backdrop, simple in form, little visual, prevents disruption from ceremony - temporality, winter, dynamism on the season, ice cracks, step on frozen ice, fragments, what can happen after, - versatile artist, passive, in response to influences he has encountered, dutch traders, chinese paintings, needs of patrons (merchants, shoguns, etc.), few lines, seems to be influenced by perspective (uki-e) - frozen body of water, mistiness in the back, more clear in the front

Ike Taiga (Ike no Taiga), Fishing in Springtime, Edo Period, 1747, ink and color on silk, hanging scroll

- supposedly Chinese inspired paintings, fashioned after Chinese literati culture - Ike Taiga was born poor, not into family of scholars, gained social standing through education and talent, trained and taught at the Buddhist monastery, worked in the painting circles in Kyoto and declared himself as a literatist, reflect his painting practice - married another artist, was a renowned artist couple in Japan, she was at a higher standing at the time of marriage, landscape, conventional landscape, vertical with foreground on the bottom and up in the composition becomes more blurry and less defined - recession is very minor, nuanced, lots of color, thin outlines - colorful for a landscape ink painting, uses black and grays but a sense of springtime, vibrant spring colors, blossoming trees, pollen in the air, foliage that fishermen are traversing through - shapes of the landscape is soft, everything has a soft plush quality to it, hills at the top are rounded, animated quality, slightly cute quality, mossy landscape, bushy plants, fairly domesticated landscape, farm landscape, carved pathways, humanly and happy type of painting, huts here and there, human interaction and habitation - traveling through landscape, part of literati lifestyle is to travel and go to different places, it was not expected to draw in nature, possibly a small sketchbook, but they would travel and take mental notes, write a poem or something about it, and go back to their studio to create something to commemorate their travels - literatist must travel and experiment, notion of traveling into distant mountains and hills was part of their tradition, lifestyle, and cultivation - dots at the top of the mountains, standard ways of texture and foliage, chicken feet like leaf patterns - color is his own contribution, variation of patterns

Fujisan Tea Bowl

- wabi sabi

Toshusai Sharaku, Otani Oniji III as Edohei, full-color woodblock print, 1794

Edo Period - Kabuki actor - Woodblock print on paper- Used as advertisements for shows, stores, or products in the commercial culture of the Edo-period - How Ukiyo-e is embedded in commercial culture rather than art history which is elite - More common people had access to art than Europeans because of the inexpensive nature of art making and Japan was very prosperous during Edo-Period - Variety of art during this time- Used cherry wood, end grain, carved the design in relief, made other woodblocks as well for every color

Hasegawa School

Founded by Hasegawa Tohaku who studied with Kano Eitoku - competing school of Kano School, active from 16-18 centuries - started out painting lavish and heavily pigmented gold leaf- but turned to the Chinese monochromatic paintings, his transformation

Zenga

Ink paintings and calligraphy executed by the Zen monks of the Edo period (1615-1868) - done by untrained painters who happen to be Zen followers/monks - execution of form mattered less than the actual subject and spiritual qualities, all about the process, ink brushwork in a personal, direct, and expressive way, more on the action than the form - back to the four principles; chan/zen= meditation, enlightenment through meditation, sudden enlightenment, teacher to disciple relationship, reject reliance on texts Zen themed: Sesshu Toyo, Priest Huike Offering His Arm to the Bodhidharma, 1496, hanging scroll, ink and color on paper, Sainen-ji Temple, Aichi - the message was more important than the artistic quality, this was a trained and professional artist, the skill goes directly towards the theme and the narrative, Sesshu was a Zen monk who was highly trained

Sen No Rikyu, Taian teahouse, 1582

Myokian Temple, Kyoto, Japan, Momoyama period - seperate room for tea master to prepare - kneeling, small, intimate - humble yourself through entry - space to perform tea ceremony - Momoyama Period - Practice of Tea: chanoyu= ceremonial gathering of a few people to drink tea together for mutual respect - Meditative process of Zen Buddhism - Time of turmoil, tea ceremony became a time for rest, people from different classes, a few people of each, could be fit into the room - Space for different classes to come together and meditate or talk - Teamaster= Sen no Rikyu invited people - Now has been guarded as a National Treasure - No expensive materials, simple

Uki-e

Perspective picture employing the western painting method a linear or scientific perspective) - recession to space like Orange Tree Hall

Japonisme

The French fascination with all things japonese. Second half of 19th century. Impressionist and Post-impressionist were especially impressed with bold contour lines, flat areas of color, and cropped edges in Japanese woodblock prints.

Gutai

The first radical, post-war artistic group in Japan, which focused on performance, the environment, theatrical events, and emphasizes the relationship between body and subject matter in pursuit of originality.

Meiji Period (1868-1912)

Time of "enlightenment rule". Japan needed modernization. 1. End feudalism 2. Economy - industrialization 3. Military - transformation, strong "Open country to drive the barbarians out". Adopted German model of democracy.

Japonisme

Vincent Van Gogh, Irises

Ise monogatari (The Tales of Ise)

a collection of some 125 brief episodes combining elements of prose and poetry dated to the early Heian period (9-10th centuries) - genji as a novel, but the Tales of Ise is not continuous, reappearing protagonist but not continuous, episodic poetry for inspiration and emotionally moving rather than a novel - no confirmed author, believed to be written by Ariwarano Narihira (possibly the inspiration behind protagonist in tales of ise) - large screen, tall panels, converges of crashing waves and water, highly stylized rocky peaks emerging from ocean, pine trees, blobs of gold shapes, - "gazing at the foaming white surf as he crossed the beach between Ise and Owari provinces"- Tales of Ise, have to leave hometown for somewhere else - show landscape instead of person himself, painting represents the protagonists' mental state, abnormal mental state, distortions of emotions and feelings is depicted through the landscape abstraction; shapes become more ambiguous and visually confusing - rocky peaks look sort of distorted with color and scale, not realistic - abstraction and highly stylization is part of Japanese painting culture, landscape is not dependent on Chinese models of monochromatic - highly decorative, becomes a piece for psychological tension - contrast with blobs, left generalized and abstract, almost tarashikomi wet style - variation of crashing waves on island, dies down, and more of a turbulent waves on the left panel, specific colors of mineral pigments and bright green and yellow- artificial algae, highlight distortion of landscape - ryusui: pattern of the waves reminder of an earlier Japanese bronze bells where the patterns of parallel lines are used as waves

Rimpa School

involves simple natural subjects such as birds, plants and flowers, with the background filled in with gold leaf. - namesake founder Ogata Korin (rin + ta (school)) - Kyoto family of textile merchants, craftsman, noted artisans - people served samurai and nobility and incoming city dwellers - tailored towards the needs and interests/taste of the new social class in japan - screens and fans, range of subjects from china, modern literature of Japanese culture, more decorative styles, beautiful to look at, lack of literary meaning

Ukiyo-e Prints

is a genre of Japanese woodblock prints (or woodcuts) and paintings produced between the 17th and the 20th centuries, featuring motifs of landscapes, tales from history, the theatre, and pleasure quarters. It is the main artistic genre of woodblock printing in Japan.

Tawaraya Sotatsu, Pine Islands, folding screen, ink, color, and gold leaf on paper, 1600-40

look below

Shogunates

periods defined by the rules of certain shoguns -Kamakura: 1183-1333, Minamoto no Yoritomo (top) -Kenmu Restoration: 1333-1336, Short lived restoration of imperial family -Muromachi: 1336-1573, Ashikaga clan; Daimyo (provincial warlords), Onin Wars- conflict between daimyo, Sengoku "Age of the Country at War" -Momoyama: 1573-1603, Kyoto area, growth of castles and temples, Daimyo Toyotomi Hideyoshi (bottom)- resistant to foreign style and culture; started to close off Japan to world, indigenous Japanese culture is a major component

Tatami Senseki

scholar of Dutch studies

Tea Ceremony Aesthetics

wabi sabi: recognition of transience and imperfection wabi: appreciation of simplicity, humility, and understated sabi: taking pleasure in the aged, the decayed, and the imperfect