This month’s gems are contemporary artworks that serve the ages-old Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu or sado). Tea drinking was first introduced in Japan during the Nara period (710–794) aft ...
Read MoreIn observance of National Korean American Day, which occurred on Friday, January 13th, I dedicate the January Gem of the Month to the singular beauty of Korean art through the centuries. Korean art co ...
Read MoreIn order to beat the holiday rush, I think it’s a good time for some early presents in the form of gorgeous works of art. Unfortunately, I can’t gift the real artworks to you, but just see ...
Read MoreThis 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 ...
Read MoreClassic refers to something that, over time, has been judged to be outstanding and of the highest quality of its kind. That would certainly be a good way to describe the magnificent Maya culture in Me ...
Read MoreI have such an admiration for Japanese monochromatic painting that I decided to celebrate the firm establishment of autumn with one of my favorite nihon-ga artists, who was also featured for his winte ...
Read MoreI have long held a big “Wow!” for lacquer in East Asian arts. That was especially true when I recently came upon this piece, which is why I'm featuring it as my Gem of the Month. It is suc ...
Read MoreAs long as I’m pining for the greenery of spring to emerge, I’ll indulge in one of the wonderful art works in our collection that brings that pining to mind. As you know, I’m a big f ...
Read MoreSeated in the “position of royal ease” (rajalilasana in Hindu), this portrayal of the bodhisattva Guanyin mirrors hundreds of other versions of the subject in Chinese art. The pose was inf ...
Read MoreJuly is World Watercolor Month. Watercolor is a medium I’ve always admired (as you know from my drooling over Winslow Homer’s and John Singer Sargent’s gorgeous watercolor works), bu ...
Read MoreWhenever I uncover an artist whose work makes me stop and say “Wha--? Wow?” then you know I am going to post about that artist. This artist’s work reminds me of the union between Abs ...
Read MoreNothing excites me more than beautiful ceramics. I’ve always had a fascination with all kinds of ceramic art. I always thought I would like to make ceramic art if I did not paint—probably ...
Read MoreIstanbul is yet another one of the places on my “to see” list that I probably will never get to see. One of the big draws for me to that city—besides its amazing history as the forme ...
Read MoreRalph Albert Blakelock was born on October 15th. Because I am not in the habit of leaning on the “top 40 hits” of Western art as subject matter in this blog, I believe it would be interest ...
Read MoreThe final post in my Hispanic Heritage Month series features the Mixtec culture. Throughout Mesoamerica, the great cultures of the Classic period (ca. 250–900 CE), the Mayan, Teotihuacán, ...
Read MoreFor today’s Hispanic Heritage Month post, let’s look at the Maya culture. The early Pre-Classic Mayans occupied Chiapas in Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala until between 400 and 50 BCE, whe ...
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