12/17/2013 - 4/13/2014
Organizing institution: Weatherspoon Art Museum
This Exhibition includes the following Venues:
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Weatherspoon Art Museum, UNC Greensboro
12/17/2013 - 4/13/2014
Unique images of nature created by Japanese artists from the Edo period (1615-1868) through the twentieth century will fill the Tannenbaum Gallery this spring. The two principal artists responsible for introducing this theme to the woodblock print art form were Hokusai (1760-1849) and Hiroshige (1797-1858). Later artists continued their custom of directly observing nature and imbuing its flora and fauna with symbolic meanings. For example, certain blossoms and birds represent specific seasons while particular animals signify distinct attributes or human mannerisms. Each picture offers delight in itself, while the exhibition as a whole conveys Japan’s deep-rooted appreciation of the natural world and its unique aesthetic sensibility.
These prints were gifted to the Weatherspoon by Dr. Lenoir “Len” Wright (1911-2003), professor emeritus of History and Political Science at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. His passion for Asian culture resulted in a collection of over 600 objects that he began donating to WAM in 1978.
Related programs
Guest Lecture: David Phillips, "Beholding Nature: The Ecology of Beauty in Japanese Woodblock Prints" Sun, Feb 2 @ 2 pm
Noon @ the 'Spoon Tue, Feb 11 @ 2 pm
Art + Ikebana Tue, Mar 11 @ 11 am (Reservations required)