Dear Customers & Friends
Hello! Bonjour! Guten Tag! Goedemiddag! Konnichiwa! from Ginza Tokyo.
This is Ikuko, sending Shukado Newsletter vol.17.
July is already over and the hot weather has arrived in Tokyo.
In this week, we Shukado published our NEW catalog "SHUKADO vol.15"!!
If you want to receive our catalog please click here!
We are waiting for your requests and order!
************
NEW CATALOG :http://www.japanese-finearts.com/item/list2/100000012/
************
Today, I would like to introduce you to the artist who pursued the
beauty of color-on-paper artworks: KOSUGI HOUAN. In addition, we
talk about how attractive art works are on paper.
**********************
Kosugi Hoan "A Witch": http://www.japanese-finearts.com/item/list2/108000420/
**********************
There are two major kinds of Japanese style paintings: color-on-paper
and color-on-silk.
Although most of Japanese style painters paint on paper these days,
color-on-paper artworks became popular only recently. It used to be
considered that color-on-silk artworks were ranked at the top and
they are still very expensive. On the other hand, color-on-paper
artworks are less valued than color-on-silk artworks.
However, color-on-paper artworks have their own attractiveness.
Sumi ink(Indian ink) can spread smoothly on paper and pale tone colors
stand out there. Moreover, the beauty of running ink can only be
made on paper.
Now I will talk about Kosugi Houan. He (1881-1964) was born in
Niigata prefecture, and he first became a western style painter then
later switched over to be a Japanese style painter.
Around 1935, he began to use custom-ordered paper called "Houan
Paper", which was invented by paper artisan in Imadate, Echizen
(currently Fukui Prefecture) solely for Houan. Imadate is very
famous for high quality handmade WASHI (Japanese paper).
While the most widely used fiber plant for Washi is the paper
mulberry (kozo); this paper and the mitsumata and gampi plants
account for almost all traditional Japanese paper. Hemp is mixed
into those fiber plants to create Houan paper. As a result of this,
the surface of the Houan paper is rough and ink or colors easily run
on this paper; therefore, it is extremely difficult to control
painting effect with this paper.
Despite these difficulties, Houan skillfully controlled ink and
colors on this paper by using a dry brush. He gracefully and
competently used the effect of running colors and ink to create
forms. As a result of this, he mastered painting sold, and firm
shapes and creating a natural feeling even though it was extremely
difficult.
Therefore Houan's artworks have some kind of "lightness" or
attractiveness. I sometimes find some of his works on Houan paper
too blury but the ink and colors are part of their charms. He was
able to create an effect called "kegaki" which means fine, thin
bush-strokes employed to depict animal fur or human hair,
especially sideburns, beard, or eyebrows. If you are someone who
enjoys this kind of accidental effects, you will be able to find a
joy of appreciating his artworks.
The advantages of color on paper artworks are fascinating
effects of ink and color pigments and direct reflection of the
artist's personality and techniques. I believe comparing
color-on-silk artworks to color-on-paper artworks reveals the
artist's true self. I recommend you to see your favorite artist's
color-on-paper artworks.
In addition, you can not appreciate even half of the delicate
details of the color-on-paper artworks without seeing the original
with your naked eyes. Therefore, if you encounter the actual
color-on-paper artworks of your favorite artist, you will be filled
with indescribable happiness.
Please look at such detail of his work on paper.
http://www.japanese-finearts.com/item/list3/108000420/
Thank you for reading our news letter until the end! Today we will list
some ukiyo-e of Chikanobu and hanging scroll of Uda Tekison. We are
very happy if you could find your favorite new arrivals among them!
************
NEW ARRIVALS: http://www.japanese-finearts.com/item/search.php?md=0725
************
We will join a ukiyo-e market next week, I have a hunch that we can
purchase some interesting items there, so please DON'T FORGET
to browse our site again!!
SMILES to you from all of us at Shukado.
Have a wonderful and amazing day!
Ikuko Kuwata-Kelly
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
hukado Newsletter Vol.16 My First Trip to Moscow #2
***** Shukado Newsletter Vol.16 My First Trip to Moscow #2*****
***** http://wwww.japanese-finearts.com/ July 2nd,2008 *****
Dear Customers and Friends,
Hello! This is Chiaki sending Shukado Newsletter vol.16. Let me continue the story on the Moscow Art Fair.
The word "gorgeous" says it all for the Moscow Art Fair. Every thing was so gorgeous including its entrance, booths and visitors there. The booths were very big comparing to those at Art Fairs in Japan and they even had proper pillars, walls and the ceiling. They looked more extravagant than those of the Asian Art Fair in NY. There were so many people in the expensive clothes and I heard that a princess from somewhere and a Russian billionaire paid a visit there.
http://picasaweb.google.co.jp/shukado/MoscowArtFair2008Public
You can easily spend a couple of hours by just looking at beautiful Russian ladies passing by. All of them looked like fashion models with long legs and beautiful looking wearing the latest fashion items. After seeing them, I could understand why so many men leave the wife to whom he has been married for years and go after young Russian ladies.
At the Art Fair, there were not so many booths selling contemporary arts while a lot of antiques and modern fine arts were exhibited. My relative and friends participated in this Art Fair from Japan. They were exhibiting modern paintings, paintings of active artists and antiques including Byobu screen and their booths were drawing people's attention.
It is rare for the Japanese art dealers to participate in the international art fair abroad, in particular in Russia. It was their first time participation in the Russian art fair. They have not decided whether they continue participating in this art fair in the following years. May be some years later, Shukado may have a chance to participate in such an overseas international art fair in Moscow, NY, London or somewhere. If such things happen, we are looking forward to seeing you there!
In the basement floor of the art fair, there were booths exhibiting jewelries. This floor was full of dazzling glitter. Although the atmosphere was full of flamboyance, I was a little bit scared of the uncontrollable desire of human beings and the probable connection to the underworld.
On the second day, I went to the "gorgeous" supermarket before the Art Fair began. (see the image at the president's blog) Although I could not find cans of real caviar, I enjoyed tasty dairy products. (I heard that only high-ranking government officials have access to this expensive delicacy via a little bit dodgy connections.)
While nouveau riche oligarkhi people are enjoying the rich lifestyle, I wondered how ordinary people's life has changed since the collapse of the Soviet Union. When I walked around in Moscow, I found that people are quite friendly though they do not smile do often. I thought that they are good at building trusts with other people in a short period of time. I also heard that even commoners have their summer cottages called Dacha and they grow vegetables there. I think that Japanese people should cast away their negative image for Russian people.
I asked the taxi driver how things have changed from 15 years ago and he replied to me that people in Moscow enjoying freedom in many ways but he is fed up with prevalent mammonism. He added that people were more laid back and some people may have been happier at the Soviet time.
Over all my impressions of Moscow was very positive. I think that if I can speak Russian, I would be able to integrate more into the local society.
Well, let me introduce our latest recommended items before I wrap up this newsletter.
*******************
New Arrivals
*******************
Beauties! Beauties! Beauties!
Ito Shinsui's Japanese Beauty
http://www.japanese-finearts.com/item/list2/108002000/
Ito Shinsui (1898-1972) was the pseudonym of a Nihonga painter and ukiyo-e woodblock print artist in Taisho and Showa period Japan. He led the shin hanga art movement which revitalized the traditional art after it began to decline with the advent of photography in the early 20th century.
Behind a bamboo blind, a modern woman who had a perm is depicted in the image of cooling herself in the evening.
For her hair, vague painting style is used and this seems like Shinsui's consideration not to loudly show modern elements.
More beauties:
Ogawa Uko, Maisen/ A Graceful Japanese Beauty Dancing with a Fan
http://www.japanese-finearts.com/item/list2/108001600/
Komura Settai, Tsukuba, A Fan Print of a Cool Beauty
http://www.japanese-finearts.com/item/list2/108002590/
That is all for this week.
Thank you for taking your precious time for reading this newsletter to the end.
Have a wonderful week!
Chiaki Tanaka, President, Shukado Co., Ltd.
**We are sending Shukado News Letter - the information of
new arrivals.
If you would like to join our mailing list, please visit here:
http://www.japanese-finearts.com/mail/join.htm
backnumber:
http://japanese-finearts.blogspot.com/
---------------------------------------------
Japanese Fine Arts.com by SHUKADO
Address: Sone Building 7F, Ginza 6-4-8, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061
TEL:(international number)+81-3-3569-3620 FAX:+81-3-3569-3621
email: info@japanese-finearts.com
http://www.japanese-finearts.com/
ONLINE GALLERY SYUKADO (Japanese)
http://www.syukado.jp
master@syukado.jp
Shukado President's Blog(including backnumber of Shukado News Letters)
*Blogger site
http://japanese-finearts.blogspot.com/
*Ichiroya site
http://www.ichiroya.com/blog/Chiaki/
***** http://wwww.japanese-finearts.com/ July 2nd,2008 *****
Dear Customers and Friends,
Hello! This is Chiaki sending Shukado Newsletter vol.16. Let me continue the story on the Moscow Art Fair.
The word "gorgeous" says it all for the Moscow Art Fair. Every thing was so gorgeous including its entrance, booths and visitors there. The booths were very big comparing to those at Art Fairs in Japan and they even had proper pillars, walls and the ceiling. They looked more extravagant than those of the Asian Art Fair in NY. There were so many people in the expensive clothes and I heard that a princess from somewhere and a Russian billionaire paid a visit there.
http://picasaweb.google.co.jp/shukado/MoscowArtFair2008Public
You can easily spend a couple of hours by just looking at beautiful Russian ladies passing by. All of them looked like fashion models with long legs and beautiful looking wearing the latest fashion items. After seeing them, I could understand why so many men leave the wife to whom he has been married for years and go after young Russian ladies.
At the Art Fair, there were not so many booths selling contemporary arts while a lot of antiques and modern fine arts were exhibited. My relative and friends participated in this Art Fair from Japan. They were exhibiting modern paintings, paintings of active artists and antiques including Byobu screen and their booths were drawing people's attention.
It is rare for the Japanese art dealers to participate in the international art fair abroad, in particular in Russia. It was their first time participation in the Russian art fair. They have not decided whether they continue participating in this art fair in the following years. May be some years later, Shukado may have a chance to participate in such an overseas international art fair in Moscow, NY, London or somewhere. If such things happen, we are looking forward to seeing you there!
In the basement floor of the art fair, there were booths exhibiting jewelries. This floor was full of dazzling glitter. Although the atmosphere was full of flamboyance, I was a little bit scared of the uncontrollable desire of human beings and the probable connection to the underworld.
On the second day, I went to the "gorgeous" supermarket before the Art Fair began. (see the image at the president's blog) Although I could not find cans of real caviar, I enjoyed tasty dairy products. (I heard that only high-ranking government officials have access to this expensive delicacy via a little bit dodgy connections.)
While nouveau riche oligarkhi people are enjoying the rich lifestyle, I wondered how ordinary people's life has changed since the collapse of the Soviet Union. When I walked around in Moscow, I found that people are quite friendly though they do not smile do often. I thought that they are good at building trusts with other people in a short period of time. I also heard that even commoners have their summer cottages called Dacha and they grow vegetables there. I think that Japanese people should cast away their negative image for Russian people.
I asked the taxi driver how things have changed from 15 years ago and he replied to me that people in Moscow enjoying freedom in many ways but he is fed up with prevalent mammonism. He added that people were more laid back and some people may have been happier at the Soviet time.
Over all my impressions of Moscow was very positive. I think that if I can speak Russian, I would be able to integrate more into the local society.
Well, let me introduce our latest recommended items before I wrap up this newsletter.
*******************
New Arrivals
*******************
Beauties! Beauties! Beauties!
Ito Shinsui's Japanese Beauty
http://www.japanese-finearts.com/item/list2/108002000/
Ito Shinsui (1898-1972) was the pseudonym of a Nihonga painter and ukiyo-e woodblock print artist in Taisho and Showa period Japan. He led the shin hanga art movement which revitalized the traditional art after it began to decline with the advent of photography in the early 20th century.
Behind a bamboo blind, a modern woman who had a perm is depicted in the image of cooling herself in the evening.
For her hair, vague painting style is used and this seems like Shinsui's consideration not to loudly show modern elements.
More beauties:
Ogawa Uko, Maisen/ A Graceful Japanese Beauty Dancing with a Fan
http://www.japanese-finearts.com/item/list2/108001600/
Komura Settai, Tsukuba, A Fan Print of a Cool Beauty
http://www.japanese-finearts.com/item/list2/108002590/
That is all for this week.
Thank you for taking your precious time for reading this newsletter to the end.
Have a wonderful week!
Chiaki Tanaka, President, Shukado Co., Ltd.
**We are sending Shukado News Letter - the information of
new arrivals.
If you would like to join our mailing list, please visit here:
http://www.japanese-finearts.com/mail/join.htm
backnumber:
http://japanese-finearts.blogspot.com/
---------------------------------------------
Japanese Fine Arts.com by SHUKADO
Address: Sone Building 7F, Ginza 6-4-8, Chuo-ku, Tokyo 104-0061
TEL:(international number)+81-3-3569-3620 FAX:+81-3-3569-3621
email: info@japanese-finearts.com
http://www.japanese-finearts.com/
ONLINE GALLERY SYUKADO (Japanese)
http://www.syukado.jp
master@syukado.jp
Shukado President's Blog(including backnumber of Shukado News Letters)
*Blogger site
http://japanese-finearts.blogspot.com/
*Ichiroya site
http://www.ichiroya.com/blog/Chiaki/
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