77 Dances - Japanese Calligraphy by Poets, Monks, and Scholars 1568 - 1868 (Hardcover)

"77 Dances", the first book to cover Japanese calligraphy spanning the significant Momoyama and Edo periods (1568-1868), examines the art of writing at a time when it was undergoing a remarkable creative flowering. Everything from complex Zen conundrums to gossamer haiku poems were written with a verve, energy, and creativity that display how deeply the fascination for calligraphy had penetrated into the social fabric of Japan. Many different groups of calligraphers created works for diverse audiences, including educated admirers of professional calligraphy, Chinese-style poets, Confucianists, literati, followers of Zen, devotees of courtly waka waka poetry, and haiku enthusiasts. Stephen Addiss shows how these artistic worlds both maintained their own independence and interacted to create a rich brocade of calligraphic techniques and styles. The book begins with basic information on calligraphy, followed by six main sections, each representing a major facet of calligraphy, with an introductory essay followed by detailed analyses of the seventy-seven featured works. The essays include: The revival of Japanese courtly aesthetics with a new boldness in writing out waka poems on highly decorated paper; The use of Chinese writing styles and script forms, reflecting a renewed interest in Chinese culture and philosophy; Scholars who took up the brush to express their Confucian ideals and compose their own verse in Chinese; Calligraphy by major literati poets and painters; and The development of haiku as a major literary form practiced by master poet-painters who wrote on narrow poem-slips as well as on larger paper or silk formats. It also includes the work of famous Zen masters such as Hakuin and Ryokan, whose poems, aphorisms, and teachings written out for the broad public created a form of calligraphy that became an important cultural force throughout Japan.

General

Imprint:	Weatherhill
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	December 2006
First published:	October 2006
Authors:	Stephen Addiss
Dimensions:	303 x 224 x 25mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Hardcover
Pages:	272
ISBN-13:	978-0-8348-0571-2
Categories:	Books > Arts & Architecture > Art forms, treatments & subjects > Decorative arts & crafts > Lettering & calligraphy Promotions
LSN:	0-8348-0571-5
Barcode:	9780834805712

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