Artist Birthday: Kobayashi Kiyochika (1847-1915 Japan)
Kiyochika Kobayashi was undoubtedly one of the late, great masters of the Ukiyo-e style in the late 1800s Japan. He brilliantly blended tradition with Western influences. ...
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Curator's Corner
National Umbrella Day: Utagawa Kuniyoshi (1797-1861 Japan)
The origins of this recognition day is uncertain, but Umbrella Day has been celebrated since 2004. The origins of the contemporary, waterproof umbrella date to the 1700s in France, while umbrellas as ...
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Curator's Corner
Who Knew? Healthcare can be Art Subject Matter
Healthcare, medicine costs, insurance, etc. have been a hot topic for a long time, and a lot of the problems have consistently not changed for the better. Another thing about healthcare that has not c ...
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Curator's Corner
More Winter White: Keisai Eisen (1790-1848 Japan)
I continue to celebrate winter, my second favorite season after autumn, with yet another snow scene. Eisen Keisai is typical of the artists of the classic Ukiyo-e period (late 1700s to early 1800s), i ...
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Curator's Corner
Happy and Healthy New Year!
I cannot image a better way than saying “goodbye” to 2025 than with the uplifting, positive sentiments reserved for the pine tree in Japanese and Chinese cultures. There are very few e ...
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Curator's Corner
Artist Birthday: Édouard Vuillard
Édouard Vuillard was a pivotal artist in the transition from representational and abstract art. He was a member of the Nabis group of painters, "nabi" a Hebrew word for prophet, i ...
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Curator's Corner
The Week of Shichi-go-san: Kitagawa Utamaro
“Rites of passage” refer to cultures all over the world in which certain birthdays are celebrated as stepping stones to a new period of life. A Japanese example is Shichi-go-san. The n ...
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Curator's Corner
Artist Birthday: Sekino Junichirō
Sekino Junichirō was a woodblock printmaker in the sōsaku hanga movement, in which the artists draws the subject, cuts the woodblock, and prints the image themselves. These artists often incorpora ...
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Curator's Corner
Ode to Autumn Pattern: Kawanishi Hide
One of the traditions of Japanese art through the ages has been documenting the seasons and months of the year in art. My particular favorites are representations of autumn (it’s only a week awa ...
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Curator's Corner
National Pet Day: Isoda Koryūsai
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 ...
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