The Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture

Special Spring Exhibition 2004

Return to the Valley — Highlights from the Lee Center Permanent Collection

Rotation 1, March 30-May 8: "Buddhas and Kami: Images of the Sacred in Japanese Art" curated by Samuel C. Morse, Professor of Asian Art, Amherst College
Rotation 2, May 11-June 19: "Dan/Jo Man/Woman-Love and Disdain in Later Japanese Painting" curated by Quitman E. Phillips, Assistant Professor of Asian Art, University of Wisconsin, Madison
Rotation 3, June 22-July 31: "Symbols in Nature, Symbols of Nature: Images of Nature from the Lee Center Collection"

This spring, we are pleased to announce a special exhibition of scrolls, screens, and sculptures of the very top quality from the permanent collection. The exhibition will be hung in three separate thematic rotations with a total of almost 80 objects, including several pairs of large folding screens, sculptures, hanging scrolls, and handscrolls spanning several eras of Japanese history from the 12th to the 20th century.

A selection of the most prized pieces in the collection returned in early 2003 from a five-venue tour of museums in Japan, and this spring marks the first time in three years that most of these works will be on display once again here at their Central Valley home. Long-time supporters of the Center will be sure to recognize many of their all-time favorites among the works to be exhibited, and newcomers will be treated to a rare view of the very best pieces from the collection arranged thematically in three separate showings.

Nehan-zu, The Buddha's Entrance into Nirvana, artist unknown. Dated 1682, hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk Click here for larger image.

The first rotation of the exhibition will focus on the spectacular Buddhist artworks in the collection, including sublime paintings and sculptures from the 12th to 14th centuries as well as later, more decorative paintings from the 17th to 19th centuries. Of particular note are several of the finest pieces of sculpture to be found outside of Japan from the Kamakura period, long considered the apex of technical skill and aesthetic refinement in Japanese Buddhist sculpture.

This rotation will also feature a series of images of the bodhisattva Jizō, popularized in Japan as the protective deity of travelers and deceased children. In sheer numbers, Buddhist works do not form a major part of the collection, but they include a number of truly exceptional works, including sculptures of Buddhist guardian figures and images of compassionate protectors.

Scenes from the Tale of Genji in the Four Seasons (detail), artist unknown, 17th century. Pair of six-panel screens, ink, colors, and gold leaf on paper Click here for larger image.

The second rotation (May 11-June 19) will explore issues of interpersonal relationships and themes of love and courtship as they were represented in paintings from the 16th to the 19th centuries. Starting with a spectacular pair of folding screens depicting scenes from the 11th century literary classic, The Tale of Genji, the works featured in this rotation range in style and subject matter from the courtly to the comical.

The third and final rotation (June 22-July 31) will address the theme of symbolism in representations of nature in Japanese art. Images of trees and flowers, animals, and birds have been a key component of Japanese art from the very earliest of times. Not only were these images laden with specific seasonal associations, but many also came to represent certain revered character traits that made them particularly significant as symbols adopted by the scholarly literati class, the samurai class, or the aristocracy.

The central feature of the exhibition will be two pairs of screens-„Cranes and Waves by Soga Shōhaku (1730-1781), and the Three Friends of Winter: Pine, Plum, and Bamboo by Yamamoto Baiitsu (1783-1856)„-both superb depictions of common Japanese subjects representing longevity, purity of character, and strength and flexibility. An examination of these and other icons from nature will help to heighten our appreciation of the deeper messages underlying the delicate floral motifs and bold images of birds and beasts recurring throughout all periods of Japanese art.

Three Friends of Winter (detail), Yamamoto Baiitsu (1783-1856). Pair of six-panel screens, ink and gold on paper. Click here for larger image.

Weekly docent tours are held Saturdays at 1pm and guided group tours can be arranged by calling the Center in advance at 559.582.4915.

This exhibition receives promotional support from Valley Public Television.

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