Hi! Here’s an awesome new young adult romantic fantasy called THE DEMON AND THE LIGHT by Axie Oh is available now and it is the 2nd book in the Floating World duology!

#youngadultromanticfantasy #FloatingWorld #book #newrelease #books #booklover #newbooks #reading #read #readers #bookworms #booknerds #bookaholic

Hello! Here’s a new young adult romantic fantasy called THE FLOATING WORLD by Axie Oh. It is available now and it is the 1st book in the Floating World series.

#youngadultromanticfantasy #FloatingWorld #book #newrelease #books #booklover #newbooks #reading #read #readers #bookworms #booknerds #bookaholic

"Two Girls on a Porch," Suzuki Harunobu, c. 1750.

Little is known of Harunobu (c. 1725 - 1770) other than his art. He was an innovator, the first to do full-color woodblock prints, rather than two or three color prints.

Although a prominent member of the ukiyo-e school, he didn't limit himself to geishas, courtesans, actors, and sumo wrestlers, but also many ordinary people of Edo street life, like street vendors, errand boys, workmen, and others. He often quoted poetry that related to his subject in some way, but also would often poke fun at his subject.

Here we have two young women on a porch; they wear form-fitting kimonos and their hair is in elaborate styles, so according to my sketchy knowledge, that may indicate they're courtesans. That their sashes are tied in the back indicates they were dressed by maids. One holds a broom or mop but is pausing in her labors to look at a scroll held by the other. Is it a poem? A letter from an admirer? Impossible for me to tell, and I don't have access to any translations of the calligraphy, so I can only guess. But it's a nice image anyway.

From the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art, Charlotte, NC\

#Art #JapaneseArt #AsianArt #SuzukiHarunobu #Ukiyo_e #FloatingWorld #Woodcut #WomenInArt

This upside-down mural is upright in reflection

“Floating World” by Ray Bartkus in Marijampolė, Lithuania.

This remarkable mural by Ray Bartkus was intentionally painted upside-down to create a magical effect. The swimmers, rowers, and swans appear right-side-up only when reflected in the waters of the Šešupė River, which flows through the heart of the city.

Visitors to the old dam are invited to rediscover the mural’s beauty time and time again. As Bartkus explains:

“The drawing itself is created in reverse, and its true form is revealed only in the water’s reflection. I hope that every time people pass by, they will discover something new, because this artwork, like our days in life, is never the same as it was yesterday.”

What do you think about the mural that reveals itself when you look at its reflection in the water?

#ŠešupėRiver #Art #ArtisticMurals #contemporaryArt #creativeMurals #floatingWorld #graffiti #Lithuania #Marijampolė #mural #MuralPainting #opticalIllusionArt #publicArt #rayBartkus #reflectionArt #StreetArt #streetArtist #upsideDown #UpsideDownMural #urban #UrbanArt #water #WaterReflection

Hiroshige

#OldMasters #FloatingWorld #Okiyoe #Woodblock #Japan

Hiroshige

#OldMasters #FloatingWorld #Okiyoe #Woodblock #Japanese