Masterfull Illusions,
Kabuki
2004
Kabuki
2004
Masterful Illusions
Japanese Prints from the Anne van Biema Collection
Ann Yonemura et al.
Vivid portraits of Kabuki actors on and off stage, warriors,
legendary heroes and heroines; depictions of courage,
loyalty, romance, passion, ghosts, dreams, and the beauty of
the natural world - all are encompassed by the prints
included in Masterful Illusions. The richly illustrated book
includes essays by an international group of scholars that
elucidate the historic, economic, and cultural environment of
Edo period Japan.
Beginning in the early nineteenth century, European
collections of Japanese prints were gathered and transported
far from the vibrant urban centers of Edo period (1615-1868)
Japan, and today foreign collectors continue to be fascinated
by Japanese prints. The collection of Anne van Biema, one of
few women to become a serious collector of Japanese prints,
reveals her fascination with the vigorous imagery from the
Kabuki theater in the urban metropolises of Edo (now Tokyo)
and Osaka, in heroic feats from Japanese history and
legend, magic, dreams, and the supernatural. A less
numerous but important group of prints express the beauty of
nature, landscape, and poetic themes. The collection is
noteworthy for its inclusion of early Kabuki actor prints,
substantial holdings of prints by the artists Toyokuni
(1769-1825) and Kuniyoshi (1797-1861), and of Osaka actor
prints. Among the works by Kuniyoshi is a complete set of his
series of fantastic stories associated with the twelve animals
of the annual cycle.
Ann Yonemura is senior associate curator of Japanese art at the
Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian
Institution. Other contributors include Donald Keene, Columbia
University; Elizabeth de Sabato Swinton, Harvard University; and
Joshua Scott Mostow, University of British Columbia.
.
Softcover $ 60.00
Japanese Prints from the Anne van Biema Collection
Ann Yonemura et al.
Vivid portraits of Kabuki actors on and off stage, warriors,
legendary heroes and heroines; depictions of courage,
loyalty, romance, passion, ghosts, dreams, and the beauty of
the natural world - all are encompassed by the prints
included in Masterful Illusions. The richly illustrated book
includes essays by an international group of scholars that
elucidate the historic, economic, and cultural environment of
Edo period Japan.
Beginning in the early nineteenth century, European
collections of Japanese prints were gathered and transported
far from the vibrant urban centers of Edo period (1615-1868)
Japan, and today foreign collectors continue to be fascinated
by Japanese prints. The collection of Anne van Biema, one of
few women to become a serious collector of Japanese prints,
reveals her fascination with the vigorous imagery from the
Kabuki theater in the urban metropolises of Edo (now Tokyo)
and Osaka, in heroic feats from Japanese history and
legend, magic, dreams, and the supernatural. A less
numerous but important group of prints express the beauty of
nature, landscape, and poetic themes. The collection is
noteworthy for its inclusion of early Kabuki actor prints,
substantial holdings of prints by the artists Toyokuni
(1769-1825) and Kuniyoshi (1797-1861), and of Osaka actor
prints. Among the works by Kuniyoshi is a complete set of his
series of fantastic stories associated with the twelve animals
of the annual cycle.
Ann Yonemura is senior associate curator of Japanese art at the
Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian
Institution. Other contributors include Donald Keene, Columbia
University; Elizabeth de Sabato Swinton, Harvard University; and
Joshua Scott Mostow, University of British Columbia.
.
Softcover $ 60.00
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