Sunday, March 17, 2024

Prints by Suzuki Harunobu

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Suzuki Harunobu was an 18th century Japanese print maker. He is the first printmaker in Japan to produce full color prints (prior to him printers used 2 to 3 colors), as such he was extremely influential in the development of Japanese prints. He was from a samurai family and was well connected and popular in his day. He is best known for his idealized images of pretty young women. 

The image at the top of this post is one such print. She is Ôsen, a waitress at a teahouse in Edo. We tend to think that being a 'celebrity for the sake of celebrity' is a modern thing, but of course it isn't. She was renowned for being a beauty, with the teahouse having towels with her image on them, as well as selling prints, picture books, and even dolls of Ôsen. Today, instead of being a teahouse waitress, she might be an influencer of some small fame. Who knows?

See how when spring begins to fail
each opening flower fades;
So too there is a time of age
and death for beautiful maids;
And when the fleeting spring is gone,
and days of beauty over,
Flowers fall, and lovely maidens die,
and both are known no more.

(Burial of the Flowers - Cao Xueqin) 

Friday, March 15, 2024

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

Saying goodbye in Fiji

A woman, who had married a person from another village and who's much older now, returned for a funeral. This is how her relatives gather to say goodbye to her when she leaves again. It is an elaborate ceremony, featuring prayers, singing a hymn, speechifying and drinking a fair amount of kava and grog. Large parts of it are in English.  

This is from the YouTube channel of Uraia Tabua, He has a lot of other videos documenting everyday life in Fiji.

 

Sunday, March 10, 2024

Paintings of tavern exteriors

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This a is collection of paintings of taverns as seen from the outside. Some present a dignified face to the world, others a riot of neon competing for attention. Duffy's Tavern, pictured below, is in my neck of the woods. It is a pleasant island bar with good burgers.

Wednesday, March 06, 2024

Inside a teapot factory

I guess I should have known that teapots were cast, but I never thought about it. Then again, I am a coffee drinker and rarely think about tea at all.

 

Sunday, March 03, 2024

Eric Sloane paintings

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Eric Sloane was a mid-20th century American artist who primarily painted rural scenes. He started out as a sign painter, but moved on to fine art where he had considerable success. He painted in the Hudson River Valley School style. He was also very interested in weather, and so many of his landscapes feature elaborate cloudscapes as well. Oh, and barns, he painted a lot of barns. 

He also was an author and book illustrator. In addition, his interest in meteorology led him to work with the U.S. Airforce in producing materials.   

Eric Sloane