Masterful Illusions: Japanese Prints from the Anne van Biema Collection - Softcover

Yonemura, Ann; Keene, Donald; Gerstle, Andrew; De Sabato Swinton, Elizabeth; Mostow, Joshua S.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0295982713 ISBN 13: 9780295982717

Publisher: University of Washington Press, 2002

Synopsis

Vivid portraits of Kabuki actors on and off stage, warriors, legendary heroes and heroines; depictions of courage, loyalty, romance, passion, ghosts, dreams, and the beauty of the natural world -- all are encompassed by the prints included in Masterful Illusions. The richly illustrated book includes essays by an international group of scholars that elucidate the historic, economic, and cultural environment of Edo period Japan.

Beginning in the early nineteenth century, European collections of Japanese prints were gathered and transported far from the vibrant urban centers of Edo period (1615-1868) Japan, and today foreign collectors continue to be fascinated by Japanese prints. The collection of Anne van Biema, one of few women to become a serious collector of Japanese prints, reveals her fascination with the vigorous imagery from the Kabuki theater in the urban metropolises of Edo (now Tokyo) and Osaka, in heroic feats from Japanese history and legend, magic, dreams, and the supernatural. A less numerous but important group of prints express the beauty of nature, landscape, and poetic themes. The collection is noteworthy for its inclusion of early Kabuki actor prints, substantial holdings of prints by the artists Toyokuni (1769-1825) and Kuniyoshi (1797-1861), and of Osaka actor prints. Among the works by Kuniyoshi is a complete set of his series of fantastic stories associated with the twelve animals of the annual cycle.

About this title

Book Description:

Includes vivid portraits of Kabuki actors, warriors, legendary heroes, and depictions of courage, passion, ghosts, and dreams.

About the Author:

Ann Yonemura is senior associate curator of Japanese art at the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. Other contributors include Donald Keene, Columbia University; Elizabeth de Sabato Swinton, Harvard University; and Joshua Scott Mostow, University of British Columbia.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Washington Press
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0295982713
• ISBN 13: 9780295982717
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384