The Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture

Spring 2006

Surface, Line and Color: The Spirit of Design in Japanese Art

April 4 – July 29, 2006
(Galley closed on April 14 and July 4)

by Midori Oka, Museum Educator, Peabody Essex Museum

Ueda Kochu (1819-1911), Boy on a Bull, hanging scroll, ink and colors. Lee Center Permanent Collection. Click here for larger image.

Over the years, Japanese artists have established a reputation for their acute sense of design in enhancing any surface, whether large or small, two- or three-dimensional, and no matter how banal or regal an object. Art connoisseurs have also long discussed issues surrounding design in Japanese art. Design can be regarded as an overall plan for something, a basic scheme or pattern, or the organization of elements in a work of art. This exhibition focuses on three elements of design in Japanese art—surface, line, and color—as they are expressed in a selection of paintings and sculptural ceramic and bamboo works from the Lee Center collection.

"Surface" can constitute the composition of a painting or the textural aspects of a three-dimensional object. Bold designs and unexpected treatments of the surface are often seen in Japanese art. Boy on a Bull by Ueda Kochu (1819-1911) (at right), is a fine example of bold design — by cropping the sides of the bull, the artist has created an image that is immediate upon impact. Viewers are confronted by the playful yet powerful gaze of the bull juxtaposed with the grimacing boy trying to maintain control of the situation. The exhibition will also show how contemporary ceramic and bamboo artists create varied textures on the surfaces of their works through glazes and by the material bamboo itself (below left).

Mimura Chikuho (b.1973), Hope, bamboo sculpture, lacquered madake bamboo and rattan. Clark Family Collection, on long-term loan to the Lee Center. Click here for larger image.

At the heart of East Asian paintings is "line," as it is brush and ink that creates images through calligraphic linework. A simple line can be the expression of an artist's character and emotions. Soga Shohaku (1730-1781), one of the "three eccentric painters of the 18th century," is known for his wild and expressive brushwork (below right). His compositions, however, are always coherent since each and every line laid down by him are controlled and deliberate. Lines are powerful expressions of the inner spirit, but they also create rhythm, movement, patterns, and designs in art.

Soga Shohaku (1730-1781), Cranes and Waves (detail), pair of six-panel folding screens, ink on paper. Clark Family Collection, on long-term loan to the Lee Center. Click here for larger image.

This exhibition will illustrate how the spirit of Japanese design can be observed in many situations, sometimes bold and clear and other times in more subtle manners. It is my hope that students and visitors from all walks of life will visit and discuss what they see while learning something new about Japanese art. Finally, I would like to thank Mr. Clark and board members for giving me the opportunity to revisit Hanford and the Lee Center where I was curator from 1998 – 2000.

This exhibition has been curated by Midori Oka, Museum Educator, Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Massachusetts. Ms. Oka will also present the opening lecture on Sunday, April 9th.

Gallery hours: Tuesday through Saturday 1-5 pm. Admission: $5 for adults, $3 for students with valid ID. Children 12 and under free.

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.

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