“Winter solitude-
in a world of one color
the sound of the wind.”
― Bashō Matsuo
From yesterday’s post:
As a child, I collected the little cards with Japanese prints that came in ochazuke (breakfast rice soup sprinkles). The compositions were asymmetrical (diagonals!), the illustrations imaginative, and the colors shifted elegantly from the blunt American palette – the inks both vibrant and subtle. I loved them. I knew about Japanese artworks before I knew about the European impressionists who were so inspired by them. I knew the Japanese works so well that the impressionists seemed clumsy and heavy handed compared to the delicate craftsmanship of Japanese artists. Eventually the influence grew conduits in my mind, and I came to appreciate and enjoy both. (More on Japonisme soon.)
Below is a collection of Japanese prints illustrating wind.
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Utagawa Hiroshige: Lightning and Rain at Kameyama
Utagawa Hiroshige: Mie River at Yokkaichi
Utagawa Hiroshige: Mimasaka Province, Yamabushi Valley
Utagawa Hiroshige: Travelers Surprised by a Sudden Gust of Wind
Utagawa Hiroshige: Wind Blown Grass Across the Moon
Utagawa Hiroshige: Along the Eastern Road
Utagawa Hiroshige: Wind-tossed Waves at Seven-Mile Beach
Few things are as evocative, intimate, and private as moments spent bathing. The bathtub offers an emotional framework. Door locked, body submerged, the bathtub is an internal world. The figure can literally be soaked in it. Most painted bathers are young attractive women, of course, so the gender, race, and body issues are very present. I’d …
If You Could Only Save the Louvre’s Art or Its Visitors, Which Would You Save? This week’s question is a variation of one from The Book of Questions, stolen boldly and without remorse from Wait But Why. “Say on a given morning, there are 100 people in the Louvre in Paris. If a wicked sorcerer threatened …
This is day 4 of the 30SAL creative challenge! To learn more about this 30 day challenge, click here. Looking at only the back of this altarpiece fragment, imagine what the front looks like, and recreate it. You can draw, paint, lay out baguettes and hosiery, or anything else that inspires you. Share your drawing …
While we reach for the hand sanitizer and hold our breaths, our Thursday drawing/painting class has been thinking about a different kind of Corona. We’ve been studying the effects of light, especially glow. I was interested in exploring why some images seem to glow. Take the image above as an example. Why, if an all-white …
The Sound of the Wind
From yesterday’s post:
As a child, I collected the little cards with Japanese prints that came in ochazuke (breakfast rice soup sprinkles). The compositions were asymmetrical (diagonals!), the illustrations imaginative, and the colors shifted elegantly from the blunt American palette – the inks both vibrant and subtle. I loved them. I knew about Japanese artworks before I knew about the European impressionists who were so inspired by them. I knew the Japanese works so well that the impressionists seemed clumsy and heavy handed compared to the delicate craftsmanship of Japanese artists. Eventually the influence grew conduits in my mind, and I came to appreciate and enjoy both. (More on Japonisme soon.)
Below is a collection of Japanese prints illustrating wind.
Related Posts
In the Bathtub
Few things are as evocative, intimate, and private as moments spent bathing. The bathtub offers an emotional framework. Door locked, body submerged, the bathtub is an internal world. The figure can literally be soaked in it. Most painted bathers are young attractive women, of course, so the gender, race, and body issues are very present. I’d …
Which Would You Save?
If You Could Only Save the Louvre’s Art or Its Visitors, Which Would You Save? This week’s question is a variation of one from The Book of Questions, stolen boldly and without remorse from Wait But Why. “Say on a given morning, there are 100 people in the Louvre in Paris. If a wicked sorcerer threatened …
Day 4: Altarpiece #30SAL
This is day 4 of the 30SAL creative challenge! To learn more about this 30 day challenge, click here. Looking at only the back of this altarpiece fragment, imagine what the front looks like, and recreate it. You can draw, paint, lay out baguettes and hosiery, or anything else that inspires you. Share your drawing …
Effects of Light (Part 1)
While we reach for the hand sanitizer and hold our breaths, our Thursday drawing/painting class has been thinking about a different kind of Corona. We’ve been studying the effects of light, especially glow. I was interested in exploring why some images seem to glow. Take the image above as an example. Why, if an all-white …