Monthly Archives: April 2016

A Print a Day – Hiroshige’s Mandarin Ducks

Posted on April 27, 2016 by

Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) Kacho-e of Mandarin Ducks (Oshidori) Swimming Among Water Grasses, Chuban. 1830’s. This delightful print shows a pair of Oshidori, or Mandarin ducks swimming together in a swirl of contented harmony; unsurprising, as in Japanese (and Chinese, where … Continue reading →

Posted in Hirosada, Hiroshige, Kacho-e, Oshidori, ukiyo-e | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hikimayu…Fashion Trends of the Heian Period

Posted on April 26, 2016 by

Kunichika (1835-1900) Thirty-six Good and Evil Beauties: Shirabyoshi Dancer on a Boat, 1876. I love this series of prints by Kunichika. It’s called 36 Good and Evil Beauties and is one of his finest series of woodblock prints. Each print, … Continue reading →

Posted in Floating World, geisha, Hikimayu, Japanese Eyebrows, japanese hair styling, Japanese prints, japanese woodblock prints, Kunichika, Meiji Art, ukiyo-e, ukiyo-e art, yoshitoshi | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Buying Japanese Woodblock Prints… a Print per Day at Toshidama Gallery

Posted on April 25, 2016 by

Chikanobu (1838 – 1912)  Jidai kagami (A mirror of the ages): The Bunsei era (1818 – 1830); Upper Inset: Dancer and people in front of a sign for nishiki-e, 1897 The photograph doesn’t do any justice at all to this … Continue reading →

Posted in Art Collector, Asian Art, Chikanobu, Edo, Hirosada, Japanese prints, japanese woodblock prints, kabuki theatre, Meiji Art, Toshidama Gallery., ukiyo-e, ukiyo-e art | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Fumi-e, Christian Persecution in Tokugawa Japan… “Silence”, a New Film by Martin Scorsese

Posted on April 24, 2016 by

Yoshitoshi (1839 – 1892) One Hundred Aspects of the Moon: Gen’i Composes a Poem to the Moon, 1887 The very lovely Japanese woodblock print above is of a Japanese Buddhist priest and diplomat of the sixteenth century called Gen’i. We … Continue reading →

Posted in Edo, Fumi-e, Japanese Christians, Japanese prints, japanese woodblock prints, Liam Neeson, Martin Scorsese, Meiji Art, yoshitoshi | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment

Japanese Dragons, Shopkins and Superstition

Posted on April 23, 2016 by

Kuniaki II (active 1835 – 1888) Spring Colours: Lion Dancers at a Mansion, 1861. This triptych shows a group, probably Prince Genji, outside a house watching the good luck dragons during Sakura—Cherry Blossom Season. The Japanese call the lion dance … Continue reading →

Posted in Edo, Floating World, Japanese Art, Japanese Demon, Japanese prints, Japanese Puppetry, japanese woodblock prints, Shopkins, Taylor Raine, Toshidama Gallery., ukiyo-e, ukiyo-e art | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hiroshige… Japanese Tits and Kacho-e

Posted on April 22, 2016 by

Hiroshige (1797-1858) Kacho-e of a Great-tit on a Plum Branch, 1830’s. This is a very pretty print of a Japanese Great Tit called Parus minor, also known as the Oriental tit. Surprisingly, this inoffensive bird has been in the news … Continue reading →

Posted in Hiroshige, Japanese Art, Japanese prints, Japanese Tits, japanese woodblock prints, ukiyo-e art | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Hiroshige, Modernism and Cezanne (print per day)

Posted on April 21, 2016 by

Hiroshige (1797-1858) Famous Places in the Eastern Capital (Toto no meisho): Shiba Shinmei Shrine, 1834 Recession… that’s the big challenge for the easel painter and especially the landscape painter. The painting is flat… the surface of the canvas is as … Continue reading →

Posted in Cezanne, Edo, Hiroshige, japanese woodblock prints, Perspective in Art, ukiyo-e, ukiyo-e art | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment