Blogging My Museum Visit in HUM 320

My Selected Work of Art

Waves at Matsushima by Tawaraya Sōtatsu
17th century

The work of art that I have selected is the Waves at Mastsushima by famous Japanese artist Tawaraya Sōtatsu from the 17th century. The possible reason that Sōtatsu made this work of art is because that he liked to experiment this style of art. In addition, I don't think that this work of art is also specifically made for someone, but to the contribution of Japanese art which the report suggested that Sōtatsu very much provided a great path of art style for the latter artists to follow, "Sōtatsu’s experimental painting techniques and brilliantly conceived compositions transformed Japan’s courtly artistic style."(Waves at Mastsushima)

The way that it represent Japan in its Edo period is its expression to the landscape of Matsushima, although not 100% accurate, but we can learn from this work of art in which what Matsushima looked like in the Edo period. The one way that I think of this work of art could deviate from would be its total difference to Western Rococo and Neoclassicism art style which existed in about the same era, it only and fully expresses the beauty of Japanese landscape rather than social preferences or ideas. The legacy of this artist was determining to the Japanese art style, as he had devoted into this type of folding screen which became exalted in Japanese culture.

My Research

Matsushima Bay in Japan today

The JSTOR article that I have selected to support my choice of art is "What Makes Japanese Painting Japanese?" by Sadako Ohki. The reason that I arrived to this specific article is because I think this article topic could do very well on discussing my choice of art in this blog. The article's main idea is to inform us how to recognize Japanese art in Eastern art style such as from the Chinese art, as well as how exactly Japanese was originated and adapted, "The artists of both countries developed many different styles through the centuries, and caution must be exercised in making generalizations."(What Makes Japanese Painting Japanese 15) Here is an explanation to the origin of Japanese ink painting, "By the latter half of the twelfth century, a fully developed mode of Chinese ink painting was brought over to Japan by Japanese priests who visited Song China, and later by Chinese Chan (Zen) masters who immigrated to Japan to avoid the Mongol rule of the Yuan dynasty (1279-1368)."(What Makes Japanese Painting Japanese 9) It's related to my selected work of art because we should develop understanding of how this kind of art like Sōtatsu's derive from the arts of China.

My Experience

The origin of these Japanese arts related my theme of individuals and authorities in a way because we can see that the rulership of the Mongol indirectly assisted the thriving of Japanese art style, which later we could see more unique personality from it, "Some characteritics may be observed rather easily: the flattening of the surface (often treated with distinctive colors) and the love for pattern-like arrangements or designs."(What Makes Japanese Painting Japanese 16) Anyways, through viewing Japanese art, I do really sense a great synergy in which landscape art expresses the wonders of Japanese, which developed my longing and sensation to viewing these great places in person.

Waves of Matsushima Curator Tour - Youtube - by Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art

Works Cited

“Matsushima Bay.” Www.japan-Guide.com, www.japan-guide.com/e/e5101.html. Accessed 18 May 2021.

Ohki, Sadako. “What Makes Japanese Painting Japanese?” Yale University Art Gallery Bulletin, 2007, pp. 64–81. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/40514679. Accessed 18 May 2021.

Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art - “Waves of Matsushima Curator Tour.” Www.youtube.com, www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHK10w-yjzI. Accessed 18 May 2021.

Smithsonian's National Museum of Asian Art - "education-sotatsu.pdf" https://asia.si.edu/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/education-sotatsu.pdf. Accessed 18 May 2021.