Artist Birthday: Shimizu Seifu
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 ...
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Curator's Corner
Artist Birthday: Shinsui Itō
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 ...
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Curator's Corner
International Pomegranate Month: Lu Zonggui and Keiko Mori
I can’t find anything about the history of International Pomegranate Month. However, I think pomegranate juice is yummy (and good for you), so let’s celebrate the month with art! ...
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Curator's Corner
Gem of the Month: Shirō Kasamatsu
Ukiyo-e was a woodblock print aesthetic that was popular from the late 1600s to the mid 1800s. The genre developed a visual vocabulary that documented the entertainments of Japanese urban centers, par ...
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Curator's Corner
Gem of the Month: Kumi Sugaï
Abstraction was not an invention of Western artists in the early 1900s. The following definitions indicate that abstraction has been part of art throughout the world since the cave paintings of pre-hi ...
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Curator's Corner
Japanese Fashion: Yamamoto Kansai
Having studied fashion history in college, I’m always keen on researching unconventional designers. Kansai Yamamoto certainly fills that bill. His outstandingly avant-garde designs helped advanc ...
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Curator's Corner
It's Still Autumn: Noguchi Shōhin
It may feel like winter, but technically it’s still autumn until the 21st of December. I like nothing better than celebrating autumn—my favorite season in New England—with an artist ...
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Curator's Corner
Happy New Year 2023: Totoya Hokkei
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 ...
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Curator's Corner
Ghosts for Halloween
Ghosts, a big part of Halloween, are elements of mystery and curiosity in many cultures. There are great differences in the ways ghosts are perceived around the world, from abject terror to sympa ...
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Curator's Corner
Gems of the Month: Aizuri-e
This month, I’m celebrating aizuri-e, or “blue prints,” from Japan’s ukiyo-e style that flourished during the Edo Period (ca. 1615–1868). The color Prussian blue was intr ...
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