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Asian art

Curator’s Corner

An Art Ode to Labor Day Week, part 3

Thursday, September 7, 2017 | Karl Cole

I often marvel at how hard producers of the TV show M*A*S*H tried to faithfully depict everyday life in Korea. Of course, looking at this scene from the turn of the 1800s is an unfair comparison to 19 ...

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Curator’s Corner

An Art Ode to Labor Day Week, part 2

Wednesday, September 6, 2017 | Karl Cole

My Labor Day Week series continues with this ukiyo-e woodcut. ...

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Curator’s Corner

An Art Ode to Labor Day Week, part 1

Tuesday, September 5, 2017 | Karl Cole

I know that Labor Day is past, but we can keep it going throughout this week with a few works of art that represent the working class. The subject of labor has been a trend in art going all the way ba ...

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Curator’s Corner

Hanami in Spring

Tuesday, April 11, 2017 | Karl Cole

With warm weather finally starting to return, I’m going to continue to celebrate spring with ART. Hanami is Japanese for “blossom viewing,” and is the name given to the annual spring ...

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Curator’s Corner

It's All in the Details, part 2

Thursday, March 9, 2017 | Karl Cole

The sculptural decoration of Hoysala Dynasty (ca. 1050–ca. 1346) architecture is particularly ornate and worth scoping out. In the West, we are so inundated with data about the “sculpture ...

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Curator’s Corner

What's in a Snake? part 2

Tuesday, February 7, 2017 | Karl Cole

Yesterday I introduced the snake as a subject in art. Here’s an example of a sinister serpent/person in Hindu tradition. Aghasura was a demon follower of the evil (pseudo-demon) king Kamsa (of M ...

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Curator’s Corner

Vietnam, part 3

Wednesday, January 18, 2017 | Karl Cole

Yesterday I told you about Vietnamese art from the 1500s. For today’s final installment in my series about Vietnamese art, let’s take a look at some contemporary art.  ...

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Curator’s Corner

Vietnam, part 2

Tuesday, January 17, 2017 | Karl Cole

Yesterday I told you about the Champa kingdom that flourished in Vietnam. For the second post in my series on Vietnamese art, I will introduce you to the development of ceramics in Vietnam.   ...

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Curator’s Corner

Vietnam, part 1

Monday, January 16, 2017 | Karl Cole

And speaking of political disasters this past week, I’m pretty sure most folks would agree that the Vietnam War (1955–1975) was one of them in the past. My problem with that—aside fr ...

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Curator’s Corner

The "Things" of Art

Monday, November 21, 2016 | Karl Cole

I really like introducing you to artists I’ve just begun to appreciate, especially if their work is a breath of fresh air on an otherwise dreary day. That certainly applies to the work of Ufan L ...

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Curator’s Corner

An Autumn Idyll from Japan

Monday, October 31, 2016 | Karl Cole

One of the most fascinating things I learned (among many fascinating things) while studying Japanese culture and art when in college, was that Japanese scholars would routinely debate the virtues of a ...

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Curator’s Corner

Artist Selfies

Monday, September 26, 2016 | Karl Cole

Selfies are actually nothing new. Artists have been making selfies for centuries. It just happens to be easier for everyday folks nowadays to produce self-portraits. I’m presenting you with thes ...

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Curator’s Corner

"Kalighat" Art

Thursday, September 22, 2016 | Karl Cole

Indian art certainly has a rich and long history. I especially appreciate the aesthetic aspects of Indian art that have endured for centuries despite the fascinating multiplicity of kingdoms, vastly d ...

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Curator’s Corner

A National Treasure

Wednesday, July 13, 2016 | Karl Cole

Every so often it dawns on me how artists can be more than the production of their art. They can evolve to be a great gift from their country, their culture, and act as representatives of humankind&rs ...

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Curator’s Corner

It's Summer

Monday, June 27, 2016 | Karl Cole

It seems that every year it takes longer and longer for summer to get here. Then when it does get here, it’s gone in a flash! I can’t think of anything bad to say about summer, well, excep ...

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Curator’s Corner

Contemporary Bamboo

Monday, May 23, 2016 | Karl Cole

Bamboo (take or dake in Japanese), the fastest-growing woody plant on Earth, has been a cultural underpinning in Japan since forever. It has been used there to make everything from cups and ...

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