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August Is National Dog Month: Kofun Period

Monday, August 11, 2025 | Karl Cole

I am not a “cat person” at all, but I absolutely love doggies of all sorts, big and small. I get my almost weekly dose of cuteness when I visit my sister-in-law and brother-in-law and get ...

Curator's Corner

World Watercolor Month: Kawakami Ryoka

Wednesday, July 30, 2025 | Karl Cole

Japanese artists have been proficient in water-soluble media for centuries. Early forms of water-soluble media included gofun—crushed white clam shells mixed with water and pigments—and di ...

Curator's Corner

Artist Birthday: Rirkrit Tiravanija

Monday, July 21, 2025 | Karl Cole

Since the beginning of the 2000s, contemporary art of Thai artists has taken a prominent role in world art history. Rirkrit Tiravanija is renowned for his installations and sculptures that address num ...

Curator's Corner

Gem of the Month: Seto Ware

Monday, June 30, 2025 | Karl Cole

Let’s welcome the coming month of July with a gorgeous example of ceramics from Japan. Japanese ceramics have an incredibly long history and tradition of excellence. This tradition dates back to ...

Curator's Corner

Gem of the Month: Ryōhei Tanaka

Monday, June 2, 2025 | Karl Cole

My gem of the month for June is a fantastic printmaker from Japan, Ryōhei Tanaka. If you ever want to teach a lesson about use of line to depict nature, this artist fills the bill for imagery. His ama ...

Curator's Corner

Artist Birthday: Chunghi Choo

Friday, May 23, 2025 | Karl Cole

Chunghi Choo works in the ages-old tradition of gold or silver overlay on copper vessels. Like other far Eastern cultures, Korea had a great reverences for all art forms, including those considered &l ...

Curator's Corner

National Iris Day: Muhammad Zaman

Thursday, May 8, 2025 | Karl Cole

The iris is a beautiful flower that was first planted in the United States in Virginia in the 1600s. The flower started being commercially imported around 1869. The iris is the symbol for the city of ...

Curator's Corner

National Pet Day: Isoda Koryūsai

Friday, April 11, 2025 | Karl Cole

National Pet Day is an unofficial holiday celebrated on April 11. It was founded 2005/2006 by animal advocate and pet and family lifestyle expert Colleen Paige. The day is dedicated to all types of pe ...

Curator's Corner

National Poetry Month: Sōtatsu Tawaraya and Hon'ami Koetsu

Monday, April 7, 2025 | Karl Cole

I’ve posted previously about how poetry can be a visual art form when in the hands of a great calligrapher. I am not ashamed to repeat that assertion with this beautiful example of calligraphy c ...

Curator's Corner

Artist Birthday: Nōguchi Shōhin

Tuesday, February 25, 2025 | Karl Cole

The painting style that evolved during the Southern Song Dynasty is considered by scholars to have been the classic example of Chinese monochromatic painting, particularly the "literati" sty ...

Curator's Corner

Artist Birthday: Awazu Kiyoshi

Wednesday, February 19, 2025 | Karl Cole

In Art Today in Kyoto, Awazu's composition focuses on recalling the past artistic glories of Kyoto, the former imperial capital (794–1868 CE) and an important artistic center which fostered some ...

Curator's Corner

Artist Birthday: Minami Keiko

Wednesday, February 12, 2025 | Karl Cole

Keiko Minami was a sōsaku hanga (creative print) artist, a group of printmakers (primarily woodcut) who created the drawing, carved the woodblock, and printed the image, as opposed to the traditional ...

Curator's Corner

Artist Birthday: Shimizu Seifu

Monday, February 10, 2025 | Karl Cole

The Chinese had a legend of the brave carp who swam against the current on the Yellow River to mate, and few were courageous enough to swim over the Dragon Gate waterfall. Those that did turned into d ...

Curator's Corner

Artist Birthday: Shinsui Itō

Tuesday, February 4, 2025 | Karl Cole

As an artist associated with the shin hanga movement, Shinsui Itō incorporated Western elements of perspective and attention to sculptural form into his work. He also observed compositional aspects of ...

Curator's Corner

Visualizing Cold in Works of Art

Monday, January 27, 2025 | Karl Cole

It probably does not need saying by now, but the last week has been quite cold in New England. I thought it might be interesting to see how artists visually interpret the idea of “cold.”&n ...

Curator's Corner

Humor in Art Since the 1500s

Monday, January 13, 2025 | Karl Cole

Now that winter has set in with a vengeance, I think it is the perfect time to look at some art that can elicit a smile. ...

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August Is National Dog Month: Kofun Period

World Watercolor Month: Kawakami Ryoka

Artist Birthday: Rirkrit Tiravanija

Gem of the Month: Seto Ware

Gem of the Month: Ryōhei Tanaka

Artist Birthday: Chunghi Choo

National Iris Day: Muhammad Zaman

National Pet Day: Isoda Koryūsai

National Poetry Month: Sōtatsu Tawaraya and Hon'ami Koetsu

Artist Birthday: Nōguchi Shōhin

Artist Birthday: Awazu Kiyoshi

Artist Birthday: Minami Keiko

Artist Birthday: Shimizu Seifu

Artist Birthday: Shinsui Itō

Visualizing Cold in Works of Art

Humor in Art Since the 1500s

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