Japanese Screens in Miniature is a collection of six of Japan's masterpieces reproduced as actual miniature screens, with an introduction to this most colorful, exuberant, and decorative aspects of the Golden Age of Japanese art. The development of the Japanese screen as an ant form in the Momoyama period (1575-1615) presents a fascinating example of the converging influences of art traditions,history, politics, religion, and architecture.
A Copybook for Japanese Ink Painting is designed for artists who are eager to find a new outlet for his talents. The paintings are the work of Shutei Ota, an artist who has had a long career of introducing Japanese ink-painting to Westerners. As a teacher, she has found the language barrier to be no handicap. She teaches by showing, by example, and by holding the hands of her students-beginning immediately with strokes and foregoing preliminary sketches. "Paint now" is her philosophy. She likes to think of her paintings as written compositions. Each stroke is a sentence, and each sentence builds up to a complete message or picture. In this book, examples graded from easy to difficult are given. Westerners will no doubt make practical use of the art to create place cards, greeting cards, Christmas cards, and the like for personal use. Beyond this, of course, the study of Japanese ink painting will lead to better understanding of the discipline of Asian arts in general.
A lavishly illustrated history of Japanese screens—limited to 3,000 numbered copies Japanese screens (byobu, meaning “barrier against the wind”) are made of wooden lattices with two to twelve panels, covered with a paper or fabric canvas. They are unique for being beautiful artworks as well as portable furnishings, acting as backdrops for court ceremonies or partitions for intimate tea services. Artists have embraced screens as three-dimensional objects, creating dynamic compositions that guide the viewer’s eye from one panel to the next. This sumptuous book explores the 1,300-year history of Japanese screens. The authors, leading experts on Japanese art and culture, describe how screens developed from the eighth to the twenty-first century, from their ceremonial use in palaces and temples to their functional and decorative use in ordinary Japanese homes. They examine the stylistic evolution of screens and the wide variety of subjects, such as animals, the seasons, The Tale of Genji, and calligraphic designs. Bound in the Japanese style and housed in a handsome clamshell box, this volume also comes with a poster-sized reproduction of an exceptional screen, suitable for framing. Japanese Screens will be an essential addition to any art lover’s library.
Essential Terms of Chinese Painting provides a comprehensive coverage of the broad spectrum of Chinese painting. Through an array of some 900 terms, it exhibits the history of Chinese culture, as interpreted by artists and portrayed in their work. In masterful detail, it describes not only the artistic implements and drawing styles, but also how these are influenced by changing cultural considerations over time such as religion, philosophy, intellectual ideas, and political developments. From the broad view of how the change of dynasties affected painting trends in both format and subject, to the smallest detail of the methods used to paint different styles of tree branches, this is a full compendium of the scope and depth of artwork from China. This volume features twelve chapters which • explore all major areas of art including techniques, implements and materials, inscriptions and seals, painting and mounting formats for all categories including landscape, bird-and-flower, figure and auspicious paintings; • provide a helpful resource for readers to enjoy Chinese art with over 500 full-colour illustrations and pictures to further elaborate the terms discussed; • serve as an introduction to begin a true understanding of traditional Chinese painting.
