Exhibition catalogue from the John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art of the woodblock prints of the Japanese artist Saitō Kiyoshi (1907–1997). This catalogue is the first comprehensive, scholarly publication on the Japanese print artist Saitō Kiyoshi to be published in English and accompanies the first major exhibition of his work in the United States since his death. Saitō was a central member of Japan’s creative print (sōsaku hanga) movement, and one of the best known and most popular modern Japanese artists in the United States. His work is appreciated for his refined sense of design and active use of woodgrain. The fully-illustrated book includes thematic essays, illustrations demonstrating Saitō’s technique, discussion of seals and signatures, chronology, and bibliography.
Masterful Images The Art of Kiyoshi Saito presents the story of this idiosyncratic artists ascent to international success, whose rustic work possessed an immediacy far from the refinement of a Hiroshige or Hokusai. Travel and recognition brought new subjects, as the artist lingered in France, Tahiti, Mexico, and India to capture scenes that appealed to his sensibility. Encompassing the full range of Saitos oeuvre, the 90 prints reproduced here are complemented by an interpretive essay from Barry Till, curator of the museums Asian art collection.
Featuring over 100 unique prints, Modern Japanese Prints is a testament to the continuity of Japanese art and creativity. By far the most vitally creative group of artists working in Japan today, modern print-makers are truly international in appeal. Although they owe much of their heritage to the famous ukiyoe techniques of the past, they depart from their forebears in at least two important respects. In the first place, whereas in the ancient ukiyoe tradition a print was the joint production of three men— the artist-designer, the artisan who carved the blocks, and the printer—these modern artists perform all these functions themselves, thus satisfying their demands for individual artistic expression at every step of the creative process. Another distinguishing feature of this artistic school is that its inspiration is derived neither solely from its own Japanese past nor solely from the West. This book carefully traces the history of the modern print movement through detailed discussions of the life and work of twenty-nine of its most noteworthy and representative artists. It describes vicissitudes which the movement has undergone and the high artistic ideals which have motivated its members in spite of public apathy and the hostility of the traditionalists.
"[An] impressive volume, with a valuable amount of information not otherwise available in one source." --Choice Companion volume to Merritt's Modern Japanese Woodblock Prints. This volume is a reference work that is both comprehensive and rigorously chronological.
The Paris Gun, first published in 1930, is a detailed account of the design, construction, and operation of the several German long-range cannons used to bombard Paris in 1918. While not accurate, the guns were used to instill terror in the civilian population and over 300 of the massive shells were fired on the city between March 23 and August 9, 1918. After the war, author Henry Miller, a U.S. Army ordnance officer, interviewed German artillery officers who were directly involved in the project, providing a unique, first-hand look at these weapons. Included are 38 pages of illustrations and maps.
This is the first book to comprehensively analyze key issues regarding innovation, entrepreneurship, and human resource development in the Japanese agricultural sector. Despite the fact that innovation and entrepreneurship are vital to the development of modern Japanese agriculture, there have been comparatively few studies in this field; in addition, they have been virtually none on measures for developing entrepreneurial human resources or innovation in agriculture. The agricultural sector’s declining competitiveness and sustainability as an industry in Japan are serious concerns, especially in combination with an aging labor force and decreasing farmland. To date, Japanese agricultural policies have largely concentrated on accumulating farmland and securing a sufficient agricultural labor force. However, from the perspectives of industrial and regional development, policies focusing on creating innovation, the driving force of economic development, have been recognized as being more effective. Moreover, there have been some recent developments concerning innovation and entrepreneurship in various regions of Japan. This book provides a wealth of significant findings from studies on successful cases involving e.g. agricultural clusters, agriculture–commerce–industry collaborations, networking, franchising, and corporate entry-induced innovation utilizing limited regional resources; and how they have contributed to the development of each region. The interrelationships between innovation, entrepreneurship, and human resource development are then clarified, and effective policies to promote Japanese agriculture and rural areas are suggested. Given its scope, the book contributes to the advancement not only of farm management science, but also of regional science and related fields.
The introduction by Lawrence Smith gives a concise history of the medium since 1912, charting the two 'golden ages' (1915-40 and 1950-75) and the assimilation of new international techniques and styles. The book also contains biographies of all the 78 artists illustrated, a comprehensive bibliography and a glossary of Japanese terms.
