Beyond Golden Clouds at the AAM
note: i have requested from Asian Art Museum for permission to use the high quality images that they give to journalists. My request was denied but i hope these images will give you an idea but i know, some are very small.
The Art Institute of Chicago and the Saint Louis Art Museum have collaborated on a major exhibition that showcases the rarely seen masterpieces of Japanese screens from both museums' permanent collections. Beyond Golden Clouds: Japanese Screens from the Art Institute of Chicago and the Saint Louis Art Museum--on view at Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.
When ever i go to the musuem, i am always looking for pieces that inspire me to think about my own work. In this case, i was wondering if i could make a color field with a similar feeling by paring down the color contrast and giving it a more minimal feel? This painting by Kaiho Yusho called "Landscape" 1602 is spare, beautiful and minimal. You can't get the feel for the size in this image but it is quite long.
"Pheasant and Pine" 1626 by Kano Kai - a complete view and a close up.
This screen made me wonder if i could do one of my trees from the "Trees Posing" series on a gold background? I could gold leaf it but perhaps i could try using gold paint and try to make those squares typically found on the screens.
"Bamboo and Yew and Deer with Maple" 1605 by Hosegawa Togaku
This was interesting to me because the gold leafed area was textured. Apparently, an undercoating was laid down to give it the shape and texture of the bamboo or maple. Interesting idea and perhaps worth trying with a cheaper form of gold leaf.
"Twelve Poetic Immortals and Their Poems" by Keizei Tamechika I enjoyed this piece for its organization. I liked how each figure had it's own panel and how they were characterized. I've been doing sketches of people i see in San Francisco and thought this would be a great way to display my SF characters. I noted the colors which look vibrant against the gold leaf. Although i have the pigments to make this from my nihonga class, i am going to make the colors in oil instead. I like the tone of the flesh which is an off white - it is probably oyster shell.
"Relaxing in the Shade" 1933
When i saw this, i immediately though of my mother. There are photos of her in her youth that remind me of the feeling in this screen. So, i see another portrait project of painting my mom in her youth in this style. She was born in 1924 (passed away in 2005) so i think she would have been familiar with this style.
"The Gathering of the Orchid Pavillion" by Noguchi Shohen 1900
You can't really see this but the light green highlights (probably malachite) were amazingly luminous especially against the rich yellow background. The color really popped. The image shown here shows the front and the back of the screen.
"Blue Phoenix" 1021 by Omura Koyo
The colors were almost over the top and in that way, seemed very contemporary. And speaking of contemporary, the show also featured some pieces from my lifetime.
Some examples:
"Dragon Knows Dragon" by Morita Shiryu 1969
"Tanabata" 1968 by Kayama Matazo
The Art Institute of Chicago and the Saint Louis Art Museum have collaborated on a major exhibition that showcases the rarely seen masterpieces of Japanese screens from both museums' permanent collections. Beyond Golden Clouds: Japanese Screens from the Art Institute of Chicago and the Saint Louis Art Museum--on view at Asian Art Museum in San Francisco.
When ever i go to the musuem, i am always looking for pieces that inspire me to think about my own work. In this case, i was wondering if i could make a color field with a similar feeling by paring down the color contrast and giving it a more minimal feel? This painting by Kaiho Yusho called "Landscape" 1602 is spare, beautiful and minimal. You can't get the feel for the size in this image but it is quite long. 
"Pheasant and Pine" 1626 by Kano Kai - a complete view and a close up.
This screen made me wonder if i could do one of my trees from the "Trees Posing" series on a gold background? I could gold leaf it but perhaps i could try using gold paint and try to make those squares typically found on the screens.
"Bamboo and Yew and Deer with Maple" 1605 by Hosegawa Togaku
This was interesting to me because the gold leafed area was textured. Apparently, an undercoating was laid down to give it the shape and texture of the bamboo or maple. Interesting idea and perhaps worth trying with a cheaper form of gold leaf.
"Twelve Poetic Immortals and Their Poems" by Keizei Tamechika I enjoyed this piece for its organization. I liked how each figure had it's own panel and how they were characterized. I've been doing sketches of people i see in San Francisco and thought this would be a great way to display my SF characters. I noted the colors which look vibrant against the gold leaf. Although i have the pigments to make this from my nihonga class, i am going to make the colors in oil instead. I like the tone of the flesh which is an off white - it is probably oyster shell.
"Relaxing in the Shade" 1933
When i saw this, i immediately though of my mother. There are photos of her in her youth that remind me of the feeling in this screen. So, i see another portrait project of painting my mom in her youth in this style. She was born in 1924 (passed away in 2005) so i think she would have been familiar with this style.
"The Gathering of the Orchid Pavillion" by Noguchi Shohen 1900
You can't really see this but the light green highlights (probably malachite) were amazingly luminous especially against the rich yellow background. The color really popped. The image shown here shows the front and the back of the screen.
"Blue Phoenix" 1021 by Omura Koyo
The colors were almost over the top and in that way, seemed very contemporary. And speaking of contemporary, the show also featured some pieces from my lifetime.
Some examples:
"Dragon Knows Dragon" by Morita Shiryu 1969
"Tanabata" 1968 by Kayama Matazo
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