Category: Fūryū
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Quick Print: Yomogyu – The Tale of Genji by Masao Ebina
Masao Ebina (Japanese), Genji Monogatari (“The Tale of Genji”), mid-20th century. Source: artelino The Tale of Genji was the first novel to be published in Japan. Having made its debut during the flourishing Heian period–the equivalent of the Renaissance era in Western art–Genji Monogatari is an extensive work of courtly intrigue and romantic adventure. While…
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Itō Jakuchū: Potential for Flight
I am enraptured by Itō Jakuchū’s art. The stark contrast between the ink-black background and the bold use of color on the foreground is immediately striking, sure. But it’s more than that. The hues on Swallow and Camellia are not jump-at-you bright, but they are made dazzling nonetheless by graceful saturation. The crimson on the…
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Fūryū of the Fisherman: Finding the Original Mind
“Finding the Original Mind” is somewhat of an oxymoron – one cannot find what is never lost. And yet, the statement succinctly describes what fūryū is all about. But what is fūryū, you ask? According to Qiu (2001), the term fūryū first evolved in medieval Japan as a way to describe elegance, or a “penchant…