Art, Aesthetics & Culture
The book that art and design fans and professionals have been clamoring for: it
fills the need for an intelligent, culture-rich overview of what Japanese design
is and means.Blends accessible, surprising informative text with dozens of
photos of iconic Japanese art examples, some of which are being published for
the first time.
Japanese things often possess an intuitive, one-of-a-kind appeal...whether it's a
silk kimono, a carefully raked garden path, an architectural marvel, a teapot, or a
contemporary work of art. This allure has come to permeate the whole culture of
Japan—it’s manifest in items from the most mundane utensil to snack food
packaging, architecture, and high art.
But what exactly is that unique attraction of Japanese design? And why does it
speak to all of us, everywhere in the world?
This unusual full-color book opens the Japanese design aesthetic to us in an
absorbing way, using a combination of insightful explanations and more than 160
one-of-a-kind photos of examples--from sculptures to clothing to everyday bowls-
-to illustrate the features that underlie Japanese design and contribute to its
iconic appeal.
Asian-art expert Patricia J. Graham unfolds for us how this aesthetic based in
fine craftsmanship and simplicity came about. Its visual qualities, the cultural
parameters of Japanese design, and the ways the Japanese religious traditions
of Buddhism and Shinto have impacted the appearance of its arts are clarified
with an insightful look at ten elements of Japan's design aesthetic.
Japanese Art and Design is not a history of Japanese art and design, but a
handbook for the millions of us who have felt the special allure of Japanese
culture, crafts, and art.