Ink and Gold

by Felice Fischer and Kyoko Kinoshita

Published 12 May 2015
An exquisite tribute to the group of artists who elevated Japanese painting to the level of internationally renowned fine art

The Kano lineage of painters—the most important in Japan—was established in the late 15th century by Kano Masanobu (1434–1530) and continued for more than 400 years, until the early 20th century. Originally limited to successive generations of the Kano family, it soon developed into a school of professional artists. Ink and Gold is the first and most comprehensive book published outside of Japan to address the Kano painters. Lavishly illustrated, this important volume focuses on the large-scale screens and sliding doors that were designed for the residences of powerful rulers, together with smaller works such as scrolls, albums, and fans. These works—for sites including shogunate residences, Zen temples, teahouses, and homes of wealthy merchants—demonstrate the range of styles that Kano artists employed to suit the tastes of their varied patrons. Essays by leading scholars address the wide range of Kano motifs and styles and also consider the particular influence of Kano Tan’yu (1602–1674). A compendium of Kano artists’ seals, a type of resource published here for the first time, provides an important reference, as does an appendix of images from the most significant album by Tan’yu.

Published in association with the Philadelphia Museum of Art


Exhibition Schedule:

Philadelphia Museum of Art
(02/14/15–05/10/15)


The Art of Japanese Craft

by Felice Fischer

Published 1 January 2008

From Japan’s first forays onto the international stage of world’s fairs in the late 19th century to the dynamic creativity of the 1920 and 1930s, from the heady post–World War II period to the present day, Japanese crafts have exhibited a rich diversity of media and techniques. One of the first illustrated surveys in English of modern-era Japanese crafts––including ceramics, lacquerware, metalcraft, and wood––this elegant book, with 70 color illustrations, is an invaluable guide for the collector and scholar.

 

Focusing on an important collection of Japanese crafts destined for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the text discusses the artists and ideas that shaped and defined the aesthetic of 20th-century Japan, noting that this nation—which so deeply appreciates and fosters its crafts traditions—hails its artists as “living national treasures.” The book also includes artists’ biographies and reproductions of their signatures and marks.



Published in association with the Philadelphia Museum of Art


Exhibition Schedule:

Philadelphia Museum of Art (December 6, 2008 – fall 2009)