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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

Happy New Year 2023: Totoya Hokkei

Tuesday, January 3, 2023 | Karl Cole

Mekari Shinji at the Mekari Shrine in Japan is an annual ritual of cutting wakame seaweed—symbolizing wealth and good fortune—from the ocean at low tide on New Year’s day of the old ...

Curator's Corner

Fuji (Wisteria) Matsuri: Utagawa Hiroshige

Monday, April 27, 2020 | Karl Cole

In Japan, April 21 to May 6 is the time of the Fuji Matsuri, or “Wisteria Festival.” During the festival, traditional music and dance are performed at the Kameido Tenjin shrine on the outs ...

Curator's Corner

"Hmm, Ginko Leaf or Toothbrush?"

Monday, August 27, 2018 | Karl Cole

I just got a crown on a tooth this week, so I thought I’d do a teeth-themed posting. Goodness knows I don’t love going to the dentist, but he’s a really good one, so I’m no lon ...

Curator's Corner

Sumidagawa in July: Japanese Woodcuts

Monday, July 24, 2017 | Karl Cole

The actual festival of Sumidagawa (“Sumida River”) occurs in Tokyo in the last week of August, but there are fireworks in Tokyo from May through August, starting with the Opening of the Su ...

Curator's Corner

National Monkey Day: Shimizu Seifu

Wednesday, December 16, 2015 | Karl Cole

I always admit I’m never too old to learn. This week I learned about National/International Monkey Day, which fell on the 14th of December. The commemorative day has only been around since 2000, ...

Curator's Corner

Survey No. 10: Ubiquitous Real

Monday, January 19, 2015 | Karl Cole

So far we have taken a look at Classicism and Romanticism around the world in the 1800s. Now let’s look at “realism,” which—like every other style—has been a trend somewh ...

Curator's Corner

Saturated Autumn Color: Meiji Period

Tuesday, November 4, 2014 | Karl Cole

I know I showed a Japanese artist’s work last week, but I got so excited when I came across this woodcut print that I just had to share it with you. It’s a perfect example of saturation&nb ...

Curator's Corner

Wood Engraving Artist: Grace Arnold Albee

Monday, April 28, 2014 | Karl Cole

There is a high degree of skill in printmaking, particularly—in the case of relief printing—the carving of the vehicle. I, for one, have tried relief printing, both linoleum cuts and woodc ...

Curator's Corner

Aizuri-e = Wonderful: Kunisada

Monday, October 24, 2011 | Karl Cole

Aizuri-e means blue printed picture. Traditionally, the blue was derived from the dayflower. However, via the Dutch in Osaka, Prussian blue was imported from Europe as early as the 1790s. It did ...

Curator's Corner

Pioneer Art Educator: Arthur Wesley Dow

Wednesday, January 5, 2011 | Karl Cole

The late 1800s and early 1900s was an amazingly fertile period in American art. Between the 1870s and 1890s, thousands of American artists went to Europe to study art. This included the likes of ...

Curator's Corner

East-West Influence: Bertha Lum

Monday, January 18, 2010 | Karl Cole

In keeping with my constant grousing about the Western obsession with the influence of Classical and Renaissance art on subsequent periods in Western art history, I would like to focus on a period whe ...

Curator's Corner

Utagawa Hiroshige Winter Wonderland

Monday, December 28, 2009 | Karl Cole

Since we’re in the midst of “The Holidays,” I thought I would show you all a nice snow scene (as if we haven’t had enough so far this month on the East Coast). Now, I’m t ...

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National Pet Day: Isoda Koryūsai

Happy New Year 2023: Totoya Hokkei

Fuji (Wisteria) Matsuri: Utagawa Hiroshige

"Hmm, Ginko Leaf or Toothbrush?"

Sumidagawa in July: Japanese Woodcuts

National Monkey Day: Shimizu Seifu

Survey No. 10: Ubiquitous Real

Saturated Autumn Color: Meiji Period

Wood Engraving Artist: Grace Arnold Albee

Aizuri-e = Wonderful: Kunisada

Pioneer Art Educator: Arthur Wesley Dow

East-West Influence: Bertha Lum

Utagawa Hiroshige Winter Wonderland

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