Painting in the blood
Hokusai’s cherry blossom
Katsushika Oi
Oi You Haiku
Tag: Hokusai
Hokusai’s Haiku
Hokusai painting
nature in her purest forms
a gift to the world
Guest Post: Hirst, Hockney, Ballard-Wyllie And The Timeless Charms Of Cherry Blossom
By Eddie Saint-Jean
Two superstar artists, one aspiring contemporary artist divided on visual language but united by a shared appreciation of Japan’s national flower. The art world has suddenly gone all cherry blossom. And why not? Damien Hirst has gone from pickling sharks, and Swarovski crystal-studded skulls to painting blossoming flowers.
And not to be outdone, David Hockney’s cherry blossom efforts have also been in the news as he swaps paint for an iPad to capture the blossoming magic of spring at his Normandy retreat. London artist Denise Ballard-Wyllie claims she was there first, painting them since she was a child and this passion was rechannelled during a residency at Myddleton House Gardens in Enfield painting cherry blossoms and capturing the super-charged content of nature.
Ukiyo-E: The Art Of The Japanese Print Review: A Beautiful Book Filled With Exceptional Art And History
When it comes to Japanese art, ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world) are arguably the best representation. Often produced as woodblock prints, ukiyo-e have captured the imagination of people all over the world, providing a romanticised version of Japan that’s connected to ‘The Floating World’ of pleasure palaces, geisha, samurai and kabuki actors during the Edo period.
Frederick Harris’ Ukiyo-E: The Art Of The Japanese Print may well be the definitive version of Japanese woodblock prints. Filled with beautiful artwork and commentary on the greatest Japanese artists of all time, the book is a must-read for anyone who’s interested in art history and Japanese culture.
Great Wave
When Hokusai painted his Great Wave off Kanagawa
I wonder if he was painting what depression would look like for future generations?
Because that’s what depression is: a wave with claws
It rears up without warning
A tsunami of anxiety that swirls in the depths
A living, breathing thing as fathomless as nature
It crashes over you without rhyme or reason
It washes away everything you’ve built
And leaves you drowning in the wreckage
It casts you adrift on tides of uncertainty
Alone, even when there’s life all around you
The wave will come again
But you can ride it out with the people who know you best
They’ll be waiting with their lifelines
To pull you free
To stop you from drowning
To help you breathe again
The Kokoro Files: Lily Greenwood
Feeling a connection to a certain place can be magical. It helps to broaden our horizons and see things from another perspective. Many people forge a connection with Japan. But that doesn’t mean you have to visit a country to feel an emotional response. Lily Greenwood hasn’t travelled to Japan, but the culture has massively influenced her work as an artist.
In this edition of The Kokoro Files, I talk to Lily about how she got her start in the art world, how she’s been influenced by Japan and what it’s like to be an artist while looking after young children! Continue reading “The Kokoro Files: Lily Greenwood”
Ukiyo
It began with the spark of lanterns
Flickering in a city
That teetered on the precipice of change
A floating world,
Filled with the sound of artists calling to their muses
At teahouses passed off as pleasure palaces
Alive with gossip, giri and good times
Spilling out into streets
Heavy with incense
Geisha swayed amongst the fog
Kimonos bright with every colour known to man
Drifting between this life and the next
While chōnin rubbed shoulders with actors
Fresh from kabuki shows
Fantasy and friction
Danced at the table of progress every night
Until dawn’s light washed away the magic
For another day.
Yamato Magazine 