Clay sculpting is an ancient traditional Chinese folk art. In the hands of the artists, fine clay is transformed into colorful sculptures. Subject matters of the sculptures usually come from characters in traditional Chinese folklore, classic literatures of operas and novels.It enjoyed the height of its boom between Tongzhi and Guangxu era in the Qing dynasty. Each piece reflects more than 300 years of Chinese folk art with life-like characteristics. The color of the sculptures are elegant, natural and harmonious.In the 1980's, due to severe economic downturn, many Chinese clay sculpture artists were forced to abandon their lifelong career for livelihood. Having witnessed the hardships the old master experienced, the nest generation of apprentices were reluctant to pick up the craft. Therefore, this traditional art is no well preserved, its history and works are not adequately organized, and valuable collections of clay sculptures have been largely destroyed.To avoid the complete loss of authentic craft of handmade clay figures, it has been recognized and protected as a national heritage.

InFlux: Contemporary Art in Asia brings together essays by leading critics and curators to examine modern and contemporary art practice and its discourses in Asia. Covering diverse regions spanning China, India, Thailand, Iran, West Asia, Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Hong Kong, Tibet, and Cambodia, the book examines their multiple modernities and the arrival of many Asia's upon the contemporary art scene. Some centers have become celebrated in the international exhibition circuit and the art market, but there is also an Asia beyond their ambit, and the book throws light upon major and minor, established and emergent geographies of art. Asia's own internal minorities fracture any unified sense of place, and representing this diversity has become a major challenge for today's curator. What is the impact on contemporary art of state power and burgeoning economies, or the persistent stereotypes of Asian craftsmanship, exoticism, and religiosity or the new ones of terrorism and tourist paradise? The book aims to challenge some of these perceptions by viewing modern and contemporary Asian art not as a given field but as a project in flux, constantly under revision via art practice and curatorial interventions.

This early work by Louis V. Ledoux was originally published in 1927 and we are now republishing it. 'The Art of Japan' is a work that details various aspects of Japanese art and includes chapters on 'Sculpture', 'Metal Work', 'Ceramics', and other artistic mediums.

A lush portrait introducing one of the most important Japanese artists of the Edo period Best known for his paintings Irises and Red and White Plum Blossoms, Ogata Korin (1658-1716) was a highly successful artist who worked in many genres and media-including hanging scrolls, screen paintings, fan paintings, lacquer, textiles, and ceramics. Combining archival research, social history, and visual analysis, Frank Feltens situates Korin within the broader art culture of early modern Japan. He shows how financial pressures, client preferences, and the impulse toward personal branding in a competitive field shaped Korin's approach to art-making throughout his career. Feltens also offers a keen visual reading of the artist's work, highlighting the ways Korin's artistic innovations succeeded across media, such as his introduction of painterly techniques into lacquer design and his creation of ceramics that mimicked the appearance of ink paintings. This book, the first major study of Korin in English, provides an intimate and thought-provoking portrait of one of Japan's most significant artists.

The blend of music, dance, acrobatics and fantastic costuming called Kabuki has been a major theatrical form in Japan for nearly 400 years. Their greatest artists depicted the famous Kabuki actors, and by the 19th century thousands of these woodblock prints were themselves a form of entertainment, much like magazines and posters came to be in our modern age. As the craze for Japanese art and design in Europe peaked in the 19th century, National Museums Scotland was able to acquire about 4,000 of these splendid prints. They are by Japan's most celebrated artists - all of whom are represented in this book - Utagawa Kunisada, Utagawa Kuninao, Utagawa Toyokuni, Utagawa Kuniyasu, Utagawa Kuniyoshi, Hokuei, Kunisada II, Toyohara Kunichika, and Adachi Ginko. It was published to coincide with an exhibition that opened in October of 2013 in Scotland and collectors of Japanese art as well as the general public will be enthralled by the images, most of which have never been seen before.

The 100 paintings in this book are based on haiku poems by Kobayashi Issa (1763-1828), who is considered to be one of the four greatest masters of the Japanese haiku tradition. Issa's short poems explore nearly all aspects of human experience with delightful brevity. The poems were translated from Japanese by David G. Lanoue.

This book, from the series Primary Sources: Historical Books of the World (Asia and Far East Collection), represents an important historical artifact on Asian history and culture. Its contents come from the legions of academic literature and research on the subject produced over the last several hundred years. Covered within is a discussion drawn from many areas of study and research on the subject. From analyses of the varied geography that encompasses the Asian continent to significant time periods spanning centuries, the book was made in an effort to preserve the work of previous generations.

The present volume focuses on the uses of theory originating in non-Chinese places in the creation, curating, and criticism of contemporary Chinese visual culture. In the past two decades, contemporary Chinese art and film have attracted a great deal of media and academic attention in the West, and scholars have adopted a variety of approaches in Chinese film and visual studies. The present volume focuses on the uses and status of theory originating in non-Chinese places in the creation, curating, narration, and criticism of contemporary Chinese visual culture (broadly defined to include traditional media in the visual arts as well as cinema, installation, video, etc.). Contributors reflect on the written and, even more interestingly, the unwritten assumptions on the part of artists, critics, historians, and curators in applying or resisting Western theories. The essays in the present volume demonstrate clearly that Western theory can be useful in explicating Chinese text, as long as it is applied judiciously; the essays, taken as a whole, also suggest that cultural exchange is never a matter of one-way street. Historically, ideas from traditional Chinese aesthetics have also traveled to the West, and it is a challenge to examine what travels and what does not, as well as what makes such travel possible or impossible. The present volume thus provides us an opportunity to rethink travels of theories and texts across cultures, languages, disciplines, and media. "The authors in this volume demonstrate how theory can be deployed judiciously, and so illuminate the methodological challenges faced by scholars in a rapidly evolving field. Intellectually rigorous and yet accessible, the book is a much-needed and valuable contribution to art historical scholarship." Dr. Wenny Teo, Manuela and Iwan Wirth Lecturer in Modern and Contemporary Asian Art, The Courtauld Institute of Art, London. "This collection of essays offers multifaceted approaches and perspectives that demonstrate forcefully how Western theories have appropriated Chinese visual texts into the discourse of English scholarship. This is a must-read book for anyone intending to read or write about contemporary Chinese art and cinema. Shu-chin Tsui, Bowdoin College, author of Women Through the Lens: Gender and Nation in a Century of Chinese Cinema . "The theories, ranging from Bakhtin's reading to Chinese Daoist/Chan Buddhist notions, and engaging with postmodern perspectives and globalization, are boldly used to prompt readers to reinterpret contemporary Chinese art and film." Haili Kong, Swarthmore College, coeditor of One Hundred Years of Chinese Cinema.

A spiritual journey in nine countries of Fareast. India, Nepal, Myanmar, Lao, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia... Everything begins with questions; travels also... The roadmap of the traveler who starts his spiritual journey is different, his questions are also... Mysterious attractiveness of spiritual way of living from Hindu ashrams to Buddhist monasteries, from Muslim dargahs to Christian churches... Legendary atmosphere of hippies' ultimate destination, Kathmandu... Tears falling down in the cemetery of WW1 in a remote village of Northern Myanmar... Long river journeys in legendary Mekong River... Majestic Angkor Wat Temple and Killing Fields of Cambodia... Tragedy of longneck Karen women living in Northeastern Thailand... Unique piece of mind moments that loneliness and silence turns into a magnificent meditation in lovely Koh Phangan Island and mystical ceremonies in the Island of Gods, Bali... ... These are just some titles to give an idea about breath-taking manner of journey... ... Detailed information and impressive comments about all special places from UNESCO World Heritage List of nine countries of Fareast, interesting details about lifestyles, cultures, beliefs, rituals, geographical information and descriptions like a pastoral symphony of national parks, mountains, volcanoes, towns, cities, human stories from the journey and so many details for those who are waiting to be encouraged to be "on the road..". The guide of this breath-taking long journey is just dreams. Dreams draw the itinerary step by step. Dreams cross the realities, Physical journey combines with spiritual journey, and the mission is being completed. The journey attains its goal...

Throughout the East, writing is held to be a gift from the gods, and the divinely inspired letters and characters are objects of the highest veneration. The religious significance of calligraphy has thus led to a unique development of the art of brush and ink in Japan, China, India, and Tibet. This beautifully illustrated book covers such topics as the history and spirit of Eastern calligraphy, the art of copying religious texts, the biographies of important Zen calligraphers, and practical instructions on materials and techniques for the contemporary student. No knowledge of the languages discussed is required for the reader to appreciate the study of this ancient practice.

John Stevens lived in Japan for thirty-five years, where he was a professor of Buddhist studies at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai. Stevens is a widely respected translator, an ordained Buddhist priest, a curator of several major exhibitions of Zen art, and an aikido instructor. He has authored over thirty books and is one of the foremost Western experts on Aikido, holding a ranking of 7th dan Aikikai. Stevens has also studied calligraphy for decades, authoring this classic "Sacred Calligraphy of the East." Other John Stevens titles that are likely to be of interest include "The Philosophy of Aikido, Extraordinary Zen Masters, " and "The Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei."

Wen C. Fong established America's first program in East Asian art history at Princeton University, where he taught Chinese art from 1954 to 1999. During this time, he supervised more than thirty PhD students, most of whom have gone on to hold professorships or museum positions throughout the United States, East Asia, and Europe. This two-volume book honors Professor Fong's extraordinary half-century career at Princeton and the Metropolitan Museum of Art by gathering almost forty essays on Chinese, Japanese, and Korean art history, written by his students and by some of his lifelong colleagues in this field of study. These full-length essays address a wide range of subjects, building bridges in many directions, from early jades and bronzes through traditional painting and prints, to photography, cinema, and modern museum practice. The diversity, depth, and originality of these essays make this work a monumental contribution to the study of the arts of East Asia.

The book includes an interview of Professor Fong, conducted by Jerome Silbergeld, and a bibliography of Fong's work.

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork.

An innovative and compelling presentation of world-class Tibetan Buddhist art, elucidating its esoteric themes through visual storytelling Encouraging personal engagement with Tibetan Buddhism, this dynamic book presents spectacular Himalayan art and explores the philosophical tenets encoded in its imagery. Taking as its theme the universally accessible experience of Awakening, the book's main text leads readers along an immersive journey of self-discovery, aided by a virtual guide, or lama, and traditional art meant to support meditative practice. Complementary essays examine Tibetan Buddhism's ritual tools, paintings, symbolic imagery, and artistic traditions. Beautiful color images of all artworks, including three by contemporary Nepalese-American artist Tsherin Sherpa, and selected important details enhance our understanding of their complex iconography. Distributed for the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts Exhibition Schedule: Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond (04/27/19-08/18/19) Asian Art Museum of San Francisco (01/17/20-04/19/20)

The lute, ch'in or guqin is one of China's oldest and most revered musical instruments. Records indicate that it has been a favourite of the literary classes for more than 2,500 years; Confucius himself was a great lover of the instrument. Over the centuries, it became representative of the life, taste and pastimes of the Chinese literati. In addition to its contributions to solo and orchestral musical arrangements, a wealth of symbolic meaning accrued to the lute over time. Not only was knowledge of the instrument reserved for the literati; its study was believed to be conducive to meditation and to facilitate intellectual enlightenment. While a significant body of literature has been written on the lute in Chinese, the present monograph is the first to assemble a broad picture of the instrument and its cultural significance in English. The author, a renowned Sinologue and linguist, studied the playing of the instrument under one of the most famous lute masters of his age.

Facing China is an exploration of the portrait arts in China from the dynastic to the modern and contemporary, in painting, sculpture, photography and video. The book focuses on truth and memory in the portraiture process, from encounters between subject, portrait and artist, to broader familial, social and political arenas. It also examines the influence of location on portrait production, reception and display, from tombs, ancestral shrines, temples, gardens, and palace halls to public and private spaces. Featuring 150 fine illustrations, with 100 in colour, Facing China has much to say to specialists in the field as well as general readers interested in Chinese art.

Max Loehr (1903-1988), the most distinguished historian of Chinese art of his generation, is celebrated above all for a 1953 art historical study of Chinese bronzes that effectively predicted discoveries Chinese archaeologists were about to make. Those discoveries in turn overthrew the theories of Loehr's great rival Bernhard Karlgren (1889-1978), a Swedish sinologue whose apparently scientific use of classification and statistics had long dominated Western studies of the bronzes. Revisiting a controversy that was ended by archaeology before the issues at stake were fully understood, Robert Bagley shows its methodological implications to be profound. Starting with a close reading of the work of Karlgren, he uses an analogy with biological taxonomy to clarify questions of method and to distinguish between science and the appearance of science. Then, turning to Loehr, he provides the rationale for an art history that is concerned above all with constructing a meaningful history of creative events, one that sees the intentionality of designers and patrons as the driving force behind stylistic change. In a concluding chapter he analyzes the concept of style, arguing that many classic confusions in art historical theorizing arise from a failure to recognize that style is not a property of objects. Addressed not just to ancient China specialists or historians of Chinese art, this book uses Loehr's work on bronzes as a case study for exploring central issues of art history. It will be of interest to anyone concerned with the analysis of visual materials.

Kitagawa Utamaro was the leading light of the popular Ukiyo-e school of woodblock print designers during its golden age, famous throughout Japan within his own lifetime, an immeasurable influence upon nineteenth century French artists, such as Vincent Van Gogh, douard Manet and Claude Monet, and is a continuing source of inspiration and admiration throughout the world today for his portraits of sumptuously garbed courtesans and sensitively drawn depictions of everyday life in eighteenth century Edo. This volume, the first catalogue to document all of Utamaro's known print designs in the broadsheet format, provides a comprehensive descriptive listing of the artist's works, along with more than a hundred and thirty reproductions of his prints, with accompanying indices to aid in the location of specific works by publisher's mark, subject, or title. This groundbreaking publication, the product of more than two decades of exhaustive research, forms a record of the artist's works that will serve as a lasting reference source for connoisseurs, curators, and dealers alike. Gina Collia-Suzuki is an artist and writer who lives and works on the southwest coast of England. She has been an avid collector of Japanese woodblock prints, in particular those designed by Kitagawa Utamaro, for more than two decades. Initially a student of Western art, she encountered Japanese woodblock prints for the first time in 1985 and was immediately taken by their striking and bold designs, the compositional skills of their designers and the abilities of the craftsmen responsible for carving the blocks. In 1986 she met Jack Hillier, the world-renowned Ukiyo-e scholar, who became her mentor, and their friendship lasted until Hillier's passing in 1995. For more than twenty years she has devoted herself to the study of the woodblock prints of Kitagawa Utamaro, and is the author of 'Utamaro Revealed: A Guide to Subjects, Themes and Motifs'.

This richly illustrated book is for artists and people with no prior painting experience who want to learn the art classical Chinese brush painting using traditional materials. It follows the free form or "boneless" painting style of brush painting rather than the meticulous style. Each chapter begins with clear, step-by-step instructions to master the elements. Special sections--Practice Tips, Artistic Touch, Setup Guides, and Color Guides--provide essential information at a glance. Over 250 color illustrations show closeup details, errors to avoid, and full paintings. Photographs show brush handling techniques and examples of each flower subject as it grows in nature. Chinese symbolism and philosophy are integrated into the text. The Troubleshooting Guide at the end addresses problems encountered by painters new to this medium.

ON THE LAWS OF JAPANESE PAINTING AN INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF THE ART OF JAPAN BY HENRY P. JBOWIE WITH PREFATORY REMARKS BY IWAYA SAZANAMI AND HIRAI KINZA ILLUSTRATED PAUL ELDER AND COMPANY PUBLISHERS SAN FRANCISCO COPYRIGHT, 1911 By HENRY P. BOWIE ENTERED AT STATIONERS HALL, LONDON DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF KUBOTA BEISEN A GREAT ARTIST AND A KINDLY MAN, WHOSE HAPPINESS WAS IN HELPING OTHERS AND WHOSE TRIUMPHANT CAREER HAS SHED ENDURING LUSTRE UPON THE ART OF JAPANESE PAINTING Introduction THIRST of all, I should state that in the year 1909 I accompanied the Honorable Japanese Commercial Commissioners in their visit to the various American capitals and other cities of the United States where we were met with the heartiest welcome, and for which we all felt the most profound gratitude. We were all so happy, but I was especially so indeed, it would be impossible to be more happy than I felt, and particularly was this true of one day, namely y the twenty-seventh of November of the year named, when Henry jP. Bowie, Esq., invited us to his residence in San Mateo, where we found erected by him, a Memorial Gate to commemorate our victories in the Japanese - Russian War and its dedication had been reserved for this day of our visit Suspended above the portals was a bronze tablet inscribed with letters written by my late father, Ichi Roku. The evening of that same day we were invited by our host to a reception extended to us in San Francisco by the Japan Society of America, where I had the honor of delivering a short address on Japanese folk-lore. In adjoining halls was exhibited a large collection of Japanese writings and paintings, the latter chiefly the work of the artist, KitbotaIBeisen, while the writings were from the brush of my deceased father, between whom and Mr. Bowie there existed the relations of the warmest friendship and mutual esteem. Two years or more have passed and I am now in receipt of information from Mr. Shimada Sekko that Mr. Bowie is about to publish a work upon the laws of Japanese painting and I am requested to write a preface to the same. I am well aware how unfitted I am for such an undertaking f but in view of all I have here related I feel I am not permitted to refuse. Indeed, it seems to me that the art of our country has for many years past been introduced to the public of Europe and America in all sorts of ways f and hundreds of books about Japanese art have appeared in several foreign languages but I have been privately alarmed for the reason that a great many such books contain either superficial observations made during sightseeing sojourns of six months or a year in our country or are but hasty commentaries 9 compilations f extracts or references f chosen here and therefrom other Introduction volumes. A II work of this kind must be considered extremely super jlcial. But Mr. Bowie has resided many years in Japan. He thoroughly understands our institutions and national life he is accustomed to our ways, and is Jully conversant with our language and literature, and he understands both our arts of ivriting and painting. Indeed I feel he knows about such matters more than many of my own countrymen added to this, his taste is instinctively well adapted to the Oriental atmosphere of thought and is in har mony with Japanese ideals. And it is he who is the author of the present volume. To others a labor of the kind would be very greatto Mr. Bowie it is a work of no such difficulty, and it must surely prove a source of priceless instruction not only to Europeans and Americans, but to my own countrymen, who will learn not a little from it. Ah, how fortunate do we feel it to be that such a book will appear in lands so far removed from our native shores. Nozv that I learn that Mr. Bowie has written this book the happiness of two years ago is again renewed, and from this far-off country I offer him. my warmest congratulations, with the confident hope that his work will prove fruitfully effective...

100 woodblock prints of Edo culture: from the Ukiyo-e collection of the Tobacco & Salt Museum

A collection of patterns that can be used for drawing Rangoli

This Research in Education edition includes: A. A user-friendly format that models the American Psychological Association (2001) formatting for research study; A. Follows the pattern of chapters required in a research study including formatting, pagination, levels of headings, and suggestions for headings; A. Suggestions on how to choose a topic, find out and report what is known, and establish the need for the study; A. A guide for evaluating research writing as articulated in an analytic rubric; A. An introduction to qualitative, quantitative, and action research methods; A. Examples of organizers for literature review; A. Provides online resources and examples of citations and references; and A. An index to facilitate the reader's ability to quickly locate a topic. .