"Heron in Rain," Ohara Koson, 1928.

Ohara (1877-1945) was a Japanese painter and printmaker of the shin-hanga school, a style that revived the old ukiyo-e stylings with modern influences.

Although his work includes some animal prints, historical works (mostly of the Russo-Japanese War), and some portraits, he's best known for his kachō-e works, or bird-and-flower, a style that began in China but spread all over Asia, from Korea to Iran. Bird-and-flower paintings are exactly that: Birds and flowers, and often very charming and decorative.

This print of a heron doesn't have flowers but it's one of Ohara's most popular works and reproduced often. The simplicity of the heron in the rain, presented with few details, verges on the abstract, and is a very good example of what the shin-hanga school could do.

From the Art Institute of Chicago.

#Art #OharaKoson #AsianArt #JapaneseArt #Shin_Hanga #Kacho_e

"Surface of Lake Misaka, Kai Province," Katsushika Hokusai, c. 1830-2.

Hokusai (1760-1849) is important not only as amazing artist in his own right, but as a major influence on Western art.

THE major painter of the ukiyo-e school, he was also a driving force in moving the style from just being about portraits of courtesans and actors, to being about landscapes, plants, and animals.

This is part of his woodblock print series "Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji" which includes that famous tidal wave painting that everyone has seen. That series was a bestseller in Japan and influenced later artists who began publishing their own prints of various scenes around Japan.

Hokusai's work became popular in Europe in the latter half of the 19th century, and many of the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists, like Monet, Renoir, and Gauguin, were fans of his and admitted their debt to him.

Interestingly, the mountain in this print is clear of snow, while the reflection shows the famous snow cap. Nobody is sure why that is; perhaps a symbol of the seasons, or perhaps just a way to draw the eye to the reflection. It's hard to believe it was just a goof!

From a private collection.

#Art #Hokusai #Ukiyo_e #MountFuji #AsianArt #JapaneseArt #ILoveThis

By Georgette Chen (born Chang Li Ying, 1906-1993), Self-Portrait, oil on wood, 35 by 27 cm (13 3/4 by 10 1/2 inches), photo: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, 04 April 2015. #arthistory #womanartist #womenartists #asianart #painting #oilpainting #WomensHistoryMonth

From the catalogue note: “Georgette Chen’s modernist aesthetic and profound comprehension of the oil painting medium introduced a fresh surge to Singapore’s pre-existing artistic paradigm in the 20th century. Though landscapes and still life works are her famed forte, Chen’s striking self-portrait serves as a remarkable and rare testament to one of the most groundbreaking strides in the Nanyang School. As the singular female artist in this group, she delved into an emotional search for self-identity as she fashioned this image and appeared stalwart in her artistic fortitude.”

Your art history post for today: by Vietnamese-French painter Mai Trung Thu (1906-1980), "Grand-Mère (Grandmother)," 1944, ink and gouache on silk mounted on cardboard, 60 by 45 cm; 23 1/2 by 17 1/2 in., photo: Sotheby’s Hong Kong, July 8, 2020. #arthistory #asianart

More info in ALT.

"Woman with Morning Glories," Katsushika Ōi, c. 1820s.

Katsushika (c. 1800 - c. 1866) was the daughter of the great Hokusai, by his second wife, but also an accomplished artist in her own right.

Not a lot about her life is known for sure, except she was her father's apprentice and assistant, and married another artist...but divorced him three years later. She moved back in with her father and never remarried, the two of them always busy with their art.

This print is intriguing; at first glance the woman seems to be simpering at the bowl of morning glories (on a tray that absurdly resembles a bathroom scale to modern eyes), but a closer look shows what may be a sheet of paper hidden behind the fan. Is she reading a clandestine letter? A poem from a lover? A naughty print? Who knows?

Sadly, not much of her art is known to survive to this day, but it is known that she was highly regarded in her lifetime. It's possible that some of her work is misattributed to others, including her father. But she remains the object of study and admiration.

Happy Flower Friday!

From the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

#Art #KasushikaOi #JapaneseArt #AsianArt #ukiyo_e #MorningGlory #WomenArtists #WomenInArt #FlowerFriday

"Fukusa (Gift Cover)," Unknown artist, 1840-70.

An old Japanese tradition was that gifts would be presented on a tray or in a box, and would be draped with a fukusa, a showy cloth, usually embroidered, that would show off the giver's wealth and/or social position.

Here we have a fukusa of blue satin, embroidered with cranes in silk and metallic thread. Cranes are a symbol of longevity in Japan, as they were believed to live for 1,000 years.

I can imagine this being used to cover a gift from a younger person to an older relative or parent, perhaps, communicating a wish for a long life. The fukusa tradition has all but died out in Japan, which seems a pity, but at least we have examples like this to keep the memory alive.

From the Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

#Art #AsianArt #JapaneseArt #Embroidery #FabricArts #Fukusa #Cranes #FancyGiftWrap