BGuthrie Photos: DC -- Freer Gallery of Art -- Exhibit: Bountiful Waters

DC -- Freer Gallery of Art -- Exhibit: Bountiful Waters:

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Description of Pictures: Bountiful Waters: Aquatic Life in Japanese Art
March 8–September 14, 2014
The waters that surround the islands of Japan and flow from its mountain ranges to form rivers and lakes host plants and animals that have sustained human life since prehistoric times. This exhibition features a selection of prints, paintings, illustrated books, and ceramics that depict Japanese appreciation for the beauty and variety of fish and other species. A highlight is the public debut of the “large fish” series—twenty woodblock prints by Hiroshige (1797–1858) gifted to the Freer by John Fuegi and Jo Francis.

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[1] SIFGBW_140512_002.JPG	[2] SIFGBW_140512_005.JPG	[3] SIFGBW_140512_013.JPG
[4] SIFGBW_140512_016.JPG	[5] SIFGBW_140512_020.JPG	[6] SIFGBW_140512_024.JPG
[7] SIFGBW_140512_027.JPG	[8] SIFGBW_140512_033.JPG	[9] SIFGBW_140512_037.JPG
[10] SIFGBW_140512_041.JPG	[11] SIFGBW_140512_046.JPG	[12] SIFGBW_140512_053.JPG
[13] SIFGBW_140512_057.JPG	[14] SIFGBW_140512_059.JPG	[15] SIFGBW_140512_062.JPG
[16] SIFGBW_140512_066.JPG	[17] SIFGBW_140512_071.JPG	[18] SIFGBW_140512_073.JPG
[19] SIFGBW_140512_076.JPG	[20] SIFGBW_140512_080.JPG	[21] SIFGBW_140512_083.JPG
[22] SIFGBW_140512_087.JPG	[23] SIFGBW_140512_094.JPG	[24] SIFGBW_140512_100.JPG
[25] SIFGBW_140512_105.JPG	[26] SIFGBW_140512_110.JPG

Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. SIFGBW_140512_020.JPG: The "Large Fish" Prints by Utagawa Hiroshige At the peak of his artist career, Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858) designed two groups of prints in the full-sheen oban format depicting a wide variety of fishes and crustaceans. In all but two images, in which fish are swimming in water, Hiroshige presented the fish and crustaceans as still-life images accompanied by seasonal plants. Original verses composed for these prints by prominent contemporary poets accompany each image. Both the images and the poems contain references to the seasonal abundance of aquatic delicacies in Japanese cuisine. The inspiration for producing these large-scale, full-color designs is likely to have been two full-color woodblock printed books exhibited in the case at the center of this room. Although untitled, Hiroshige's twenty designs are known collectively as the "Large Fish" prints. They were published in two series -- in 1832-34 by Nishimuraya Yohachi (Eijudo) and in 1840-42 by Yamada Shojiro (Yamasho). The earlier group of designs was privately commissioned as a luxury limited edition, probably by a poetry circle, and mounted as an album. When commercial printings were released to the market, the popularity of the "Large Fish" prints created a huge demand that was met by reprintings, often with slight variations, and, in the Meiji period, by copies printed from new blocks.
2. SIFGBW_140512_024.JPG: Printing block for Hirame and Mebaru Utagawa Hiroshige, ca 1840-42
3. SIFGBW_140512_073.JPG: Aquatic Life in Japanese Art of the Late Edo Period Natural life became an important subject of Japanese woodblock prints during the eighteenth century, when realistic renderings of plants, birds, animals, and aquatic life from European and Chinese sources were introduced to Japan through limited trade restricted to the port of Nagasaki. Japanese artists relied on circulating books and hand copies to study detailed nature drawing. Their work reflects different degrees of knowledge of the actual animals, but a few artists may have studied actual specimens. Shown in this room are full-color printed books illustrating varieties of fishes, published in 1778 and 1802 respectively. In the 1830s, colorful single-sheet woodblock prints depicting nature subjects gained wide-spread popularity in urban Japan. Landscape series such as Katsushika Hokusai's Thirty-six Views of Mount Fuji and Utagawa Hiroshige's Fifty-three Stations along the Tokaido revitalized public demand for prints of new subjects. During the same period, both Hiroshige and Hokusai also created striking, close-up images of birds, flowers, and other natural subjects. Their designs fueled a boom in commercial publication of nature prints, which was supported by many other artists. Featured in this gallery are a full set of twenty prints of fish with accompanying poems by Hiroshige and other works by Hokusai and his followers. They illustrate not only the importance of aquatic life among the Japanese, but also their appreciation of the beauty in glistening fishes brought forth from their bountiful waters.
4. SIFGBW_140512_087.JPG: Bountiful Waters: Aquatic Life in Japanese Art: The Japanese islands form a long archipelago whose climate ranges from subarctic to subtropical, a diverse environment hospitable to a wide variety of plant and animal life. According to ancient legend, a male and female god descended from heaven and gave birth to the islands and the deities (kami) of the mountains, rivers, and trees. Seasonal plants and wildlife in the mountains and plains provided humans with sustenance, plentiful rainfall ensured an abundant harvest from the land and waters as well. Numerous types of fishes and crustaceans flourish in the surrounding seas and in freshwater rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds. Modern archaeologists have excavated prehistoric fishhooks and harpoon heads made of bone and antler horn from coastal shell mounds. These indicate a detailed knowledge of the varieties and habits of area fishes and shellfish and methods for their capture. In modern times, aquatic plants and animals remain staples of Japanese diet and cuisine. Distinctive preparation methods highlight the freshness and beauty of seasonal fishes. Sliced uncooked fish glistens as sashimi and sushi; the unique taste of each is highlighted by simple salt-broiling and braising. This exhibition gathers together for the first time paintings, woodblock prints, illustrated books, and ceramics depicting aquatic life in the collection of the Freer Gallery of Art. Most of these works were gifts from museum founder Charles Lang Freer (1854-1919) and other generous donors. Highlights include the first showing and the full series of twenty woodblock prints of fishes and crustaceans by Hiroshige in the next room and other works donated by John Fuegi and Jo Francis over a period of nearly twenty years.
5. SIFGBW_140512_094.JPG: Dish in the form of Mount Fuji Edo period, 1790-1868
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