Chinese and Japanese influences are the most obvious in his works, from
craggy mountain peaks, vistas that extend to far distant horizons, gnarled
pine boughs, lily pads floating on the surface of a barely suggested pond,
dancing ribbons of roads through mountain passes, nearly abstract fields of
snow that have as a counterpoint finely rendered shafts of grass, and a
breathtaking interplay between light and shadow.
Yet Araki also adopted moments of art of the West, with bold outlines (Ben
Shahn, Charles Burchfield) and the modal format of oil and canvas paintings.
In two remarkable works in the collection of the Clark Center for Japanese
Art and Culture, Hekiba Village and The Four Dragons in the Clouds, Araki
extended the format of the Japanese screen to 72 feet in length, spanning 12
panels. Araki was pleased to honor tradition. He was also comfortable
expanding the limits of art as we know it.
Uniformity of color and density, conformity and variety of width, regularity of sequence – these are of no consequence to Thomsen, whose paintings evoke not a geometric regularity but the capricious and random arrangements of nature, however imperfectly captured
I feel honored to present Golden Treasures: Japanese Gold Lacquer Boxes, a select collection of 20 Japanese lacquer boxes in an exhibition that opens during New York’s Asia Week 2011. These exquisite works of art date from the Edo period through today and reveal to our eye the endlessly inventive sense of design that characterizes so much of Japanese art.
This publication, our fifth catalog in the series
Japanese Paintings and Works of Art, coincides with
two other events: our move to a larger gallery
location in New York and our inaugural exhibition
there, Screens and Scrolls of the Taishō Period.
I am delighted to present our annual spring catalog,
which features selections from my five specialties
within Japanese art: screens, paintings, bamboo
baskets, ceramics and gold lacquers. All items presented
here were made in accordance with Japanese
taste and aesthetics and are connected with either
domestic artistic traditions or with the important
question of how to integrate new Western ideas
into Japanese arts.
It has been three years since we introduced the work of
Yamazaki Mushū to the West at the 2006 International Asian
Art Fair in New York. Since then, his fine aesthetic sense,
technical skill, and attention to detail have found wide admiration
internationally.
This year’s selection, comprising his 10 newest works from
2007 and 2008, shows again his consummate skill in the
medium and his continued dedication to making art objects
of the highest quality by traditional methods using the finest
materials.
It is my great pleasure to host a solo exhibition
of works by Sueharu Fukami, the most famous
Japanese ceramicist working today.
Over twenty years ago I found my first Fukami
piece in Kyoto, a vase whose sleek lines and
beautiful glaze fascinated me (catalog nr. 18).
Four years later, in 1991, I met Sueharu Fukami
for the first time at the wedding ceremony of my
brother, who married the artist’s niece. Since then
I have kept in close contact with him, seeing his
works in his home as well as at museums, galleries,
and private collections, and adding gradually
to my collection. This exhibition—the inaugural
exhibit at our new gallery location in New York—
marks the first time that I show my appreciation
publicly.
After our relocation in September 2006 from Germany to New York, this year is marked by another, shorter move from 83rd Street to our new gallery on East 74th Street, between Madison and Park Avenues. We look forward to seeing you at our new and convenient location.
I am delighted to present our third catalog, which again features selections from my five specialties within Japanese art: screens, paintings, bamboo baskets, ceramics and lacquers. All items presented here were made, not with export in mind, but rather for the domestic market and in accordance with Japanese taste and aesthetics. Most of the objects are connected with one or more of the four classical arts: the ways of tea, flowers, calligraphy, and incense (Sadō, Kadō, Shodō, and Kōdō).
Two years have passed since we had the privilege of introducing the art of Yamazaki Mushū to the West at the 2006 International Asian Art Fair in New York. Since then, his fine aesthetic sense, technical skill, and attention to detail have found wide admiration internationally.
This year’s selection, spanning 13 years of his work from 1995 to 2007, shows his early mastery and illustrates his continued dedication to making art objects of the highest quality by traditional methods using the finest materials. Coming from an area with a long heritage in lacquer art and inspired by earlier artists, Mushū builds on these traditions and adds surprising and innovative details.
It is with great pleasure that I present further works by Yamazaki Mushū in this third collection, to be introduced at the 2008 International Asian Art Fair.
[...] From our new location in New York City I am delighted to present our
second catalog, which features a carefully chosen
selection from my five specialties within Japanese
art: screens, paintings, bamboo baskets, ceramics
and lacquers. All items presented here were made,
not with export in mind, but rather for the domestic
market and in accordance with Japanese taste and
aesthetics. Most of the objects are connected with
one or more of the four classical arts: the ways of
tea, flowers, calligraphy, and incense (Sadō, Kadō,
Shodō, and Kō dō ). [...]
[...] A year has passed since we had the privilege of introducing
the art of Yamazaki Mushū to the West at the 2006 International
Asian Art Fair in New York. Since then, his fine aesthetic
sense and his attention to detail have found wide admiration
internationally.
This year's selection, spanning a decade of his work from 1996
to 2006, shows his early mastery and illustrates his continued
dedication to making art objects of the highest quality by
traditional methods using the finest materials. Coming from an
area with a long heritage in lacquer art and inspired by earlier
artists, Mushū builds on these traditions and adds surprising
and innovative details. [...]
It is with great pleasure that I present this inaugural
catalog, which includes a selection from my five
specialties within classical Japanese art: screens,
paintings, bamboo baskets, ceramics and lacquers.
Unlike most Japanese art objects seen in the West,
all items presented here were made, not with exports
in mind, but rather for the Japanese market.
Such artwork avoids many of the compromises and
alterations in artistic traditions that mark the art
made to fit foreign tastes. Instead, we see works of
art that were clearly created in line with Japanese
aesthetics and traditions. Most of the objects here
were made with one or more of the four classical
arts in mind: the ways of tea, flowers, calligraphy,
and incense (Sadō, Kadō, Shodō, and Kōdō). [...]
When I first met the lacquer master Yamazaki
Mushū in Japan last year, I was deeply impressed,
not only with the quality of his makie lacquer
works, but also with his passion and his earnest
commitment to make works of the highest possible
quality. Mushū uses the rich heritage in
lacquer of his native Northern Japan as a solid
base from which he makes new works of art with
innovative designs. I particularly value his newer
works, which present us with unexpected details,
such as the chestnut incense box with ants and
the tea bowl netsuke with simulated gold lacquer
repair.
It is with great pleasure that I present Mushū in
this, his inaugural exhibit in the US.
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