“40 Master Artists” Exhibition
Ronin Gallery
This event has ended.
The Ronin Gallery’s 40th Anniversary exhibit, 40 for 40: Forty Masterpieces Celebrating Forty Years, opens to the public on Tuesday, September 15, 2015. This exhibition traces the development of the Japanese woodblock print from the emergence of ukiyo-e in the 17th century to today’s contemporary masters.
Capturing a realm of unyielding beauty and endless pleasures, ukiyo-e translates to “pictures (-e) of the floating world (ukiyo).” These woodblock prints reveled in this floating world and Japan’s newly emerged merchant class embraced the medium as their own. From the Edo period (1603-1868) to Japan today, the woodblock technique has not only developed as a masterfully perfected, distinctly artistic process, but also defined itself through its constant evolution. Whether rendering the opulence of the pleasure districts of the floating world or abstracted explorations of urban reality, Japanese woodblock prints celebrate a beauty, sensitivity and vitality intrinsic to the culture that produced them. In honor of 40 years in business, Ronin Gallery traces the development of this tradition through 40 master artists.
This exhibition features iconic works such as an early black-and-white print by Moronobu, considered to be the father of ukiyo-e, two lovers by Harunobu, innovator of the color print, an exceptionally rare mica-ground Sharaku, and a double okubi-e (large-head portrait) by the renowned Utamaro. Beside these actors and courtesans, Mt. Fuji crests beyond Inume Pass from Hokusai’s famous series, 36 Views of Mt. Fuji; Hiroshige’s Plum Garden at Kameido, a design copied by Van Gogh, blooms from the series One Hundred Views of Edo. Further highlights include Yoshitoshi’s famed Flute Player by Moonlight triptych, a mica-ground beauty by Goyo, and Hasui’s Zojo Temple in Snow, a designated work of Intangible Cultural Heritage. This exhibition also features works by early members of the Sosaku Hanga movement, including Onchi and Munakata. 40 for 40 offers the unique opportunity to explore the tradition of this enduring art through true masterworks from the 17th through 21st century.
Media
Schedule
from September 15, 2015 to October 17, 2015