Japanese Drawings from the 17th Through the 19th Century

Japanese drawings are usually impromptu, unelaborated pieces drawn freely from nature. The Japanese masters executed their drawing for the sheer joy of exhibiting brush work - they drew flower, bird, landscape, and genre scenes without any illustrative intent other than to provide an occasion for esthetic design. In their drawings we enjoy the interplay of the strong, circumscribing line contrasted against the flat silhouettes of the wash. In the Japanese artist, line denoted not merely form but also motion and action: thus wave and wind could be as forcefully conveyed as Mt. Fuji or a strolling peasant. This collection of Japanese drawings from the seventeenth to the nineteenth century presents a wide catalogue of outstanding works ranging from subtle, understanding, lightning-fast sketches to startling examples of diablerie - vivacious, droll, extravagant pieces. No longer should Japanese art remain the exclusive preserve of specialists - this volume demonstrates its far-reaching and immediate appeal. with 90 color and black and white plates of paintings representative of 3 centuries of Japanese art. The book also includes an introductory essay and ends with short biographies of the artists, and a bibliography.