Fragile Beauty: Historic Japanese Graphic Art
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Sōshū Shichiri-ga-hama (Shichiri-ga-hama [beach] in Suruga Province) 1830-1833
Mackelvie Trust Collection
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
Exhibition Details
Commonly known as ukiyo-e (pictures of the floating world), these distinctive colour woodblock prints are among the most popular of all Japanese works of art. The carefully composed images reveal the fleeting beauty and refined pleasures of Japanese society in the last century of the Edo Period (1603–1868) when that country was largely closed to the outside world.
Comprising six themes from the repertoire of Japanese graphic artists, this exhibition explores images of tranquil landscapes and fierce battles, skillful actors and renowned beauties. From the natural world to the contrived splendour of the Yoshiwara pleasure-district, each print reveals an aspect of the culture of a lost world.
- Date
- —
- Curated by
- Matthew Norman
- Location
- Mezzanine level
- Cost
- Free entry
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Fragile Beauty: Historic Japanese Graphic Art
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