February 2

We were treated to an introduction to Clara O'Shea's beautiful sumi-e (ink paintings) and the materials used to create them.

We also started our overview of Japanese art history, starting with a discussion of the "Introduction" to Joan Stanley-Baker's Japanese Art.

Japanese Art History: Two Directions

The introduction describes a pendulum-like movement to the development of Japanese art, swinging between looking outward (towards cultural influences from the continent, i.e. China and Korea and then from Europe and America) and inward (away from them).

The eras in which exchanges with the continent were particularly strong were:

Asuka/Nara (552-794)
Kamakura/Muromachi (1185-1573)
Meiji (1868-1912)
Modern period (1912- )

The eras which Stanley-Baker describes as "insular" were:

Heian (794-1185)
Momoyama (1576-1603)
Early Modern [a.k.a. Edo or Tokugawa] (1603-1868)

Differences in Chinese and Japanese aesthetic sensibility

Stanley-Baker finds opposing characteristics in Chinese and Japanese art.

CHINA
solidity
depth
grandeur
perfection
sumptuousness

JAPAN
layered
emotional
minuteness
nuanced
irregularity
frugality

She mentions the low-key aesthetics of Japanese cuisine. Take a look at this page for some pictures of kaiseki (formal) meals. Unfortunately this kind of food is hard to find in Atlanta and costs a fortune wherever you get it.

The poem that concludes the chapter is by the medieval poet Shinkei; it speaks of the connection between:

impermanence
change
deep feeling

Reading for the next class:

We'll be talking about Chapters 2 and 3 next time. This weekend I'll post some images, including a short film that walks you around the grounds of Hôryû-ji temple, made by me.
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Handout:
Japanese pronunciation / Map of Early Japan

Images:
Check the Blackboard site for images.