The Appeal of Asian Art and Artifacts: Paintings, Statues, Sword and More. PART TWO.

July 31, 2018

#265

Gentle reader,

I am having fun with this subject. As stated in PART ONE, I do not know why Asian art appeals to me, nor do I understand my fascination with World War II. And, the music of that era. Perhaps, if there is anything to reincarnation, perhaps I was a soldier killed in WW II?

PART ONE can be found here:
The Appeal of Asian Art and Artifacts: Paintings, Statues, Sword and More. PART ONE.  

Now, we will start with two-dimensional art. I doubt any of the following paintings are anything but prints. Nor do I have any idea as to the artists nor how old they may be. But I like them.

This appears to be a wood block print detailed with color. Mount Fuji is in the background. If any of my readers can translate the symbols in these that would be awesome. Did you watch the remake of Battlestar Gallactica? If so, you will understand why this would look at home aboard one of the ships. Hint, the corners.

This one also appears to be older. Many themes occur in some Asian painting: Mountains, fog, trees, water and sometimes: bamboo, people, birds and/or buildings. 

Clearly Japanese based upon the pagoda. Are pagodas built elsewhere? I do not know.  It looks like a dogwood tree in the foreground indicating Spring. Note, a mountain in the background.

I call these two: Dreamy, due to their ethereal look and vagueness.  

Mountains, trees and water are the theme in both.

Birds are the main theme in these two unrelated paintings. Bamboo as well is seen. Two doves probably represent something in the one below.

This is a particularly realistic cat. Fine details in the fur and a representation of what cats can do that we cannot. 

This is a miniaturization, perhaps, of a large six-panel screen. The paintings on the front have such detail and depth that I can look at it for a long time and still see new things. Mountains and fog in the background. Storks accompanying them in the air. Meaning?

Called The Eight Immortals. The front (details above) shows the (minor) gods crossing a stormy sea floating on a tree. With perhaps the one on the left in the background riding a horse-god (?) across the water.

Above, shows the entire back. 

These paintings are less complicated.

Close-ups of the two end panels, above and below. So, reading the English translation, makes complete sense, right?

When I found The Eight Immortals, I wondered how to display them. I searched and searched for a frame to fit them, AND that I could replace the back with a sheet of poly-carbonate so that the backs could be seen if desired. I found it and it is perfect.

This is a nice fan. Perhaps the women represent the four seasons? I bought it the same place I found the female warrior doll seen in PART ONE. 

This is a three-dimensional artwork. Perhaps something to appeal to the tourists? It was a gift to me.

Another screen. This one tiny, with a very detailed black frame for each painting. Again, perhaps the four women represent the seasons. The other side is decorated as well, but I neglected to photograph it.

A gorgeous vase with great detail and much inlaid. A Pea cock, Pea hen and flowers decorate it with fine metal details. 

My most colorful dragon, again surfing the waves. I do not see his ball, perhaps he lost it? 
Asian Cork sculpting is another favorite Asian art of mine. Represented in four different frames and scales. The one on the left, above, is my oldest. That is, it was the first which I bought some years ago. 
True artisans create these three dimensional works of art. Their ability to carve such tiny details astounds me. The same themes often seen in paintings: Mountains, trees, birds, buildings, water. Yet, no people.

Above is an older picture, as I accidentally dropped it! So, many of the details were lost. We can pretend a storm came along.

This one is HUGE and I was so excited when I found it! If only you could see the large photo of it! I added a print inside the back to increase the interest. Note the floor being portrayed as water. I love it!  

Their relative sizes can be seen below.

Final Asian item and the only one that once lived.

Note the "eyes" my wife added when assembling this. Moe, one of our cats, was walking atop the skin, when he spied the eyes, he jumped straight up and hit the floor running!

Fishing Cats are one of the few big cats that like the water. They walk around in rivers in Asia catching fish. A shame someone killed it. But I am glad I saved it from the landfill.

As a bonus, here are two photos that could have been captured in Asia. Both shot by me on film many years ago. Both are in the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia.

The shot above occurred quite by chance. I decided on the way back, to pull over and change out of my hiking boots for the long drive home. I saw this and with my last frame on the roll of film captured it. A longer lens would have made the setting sun larger and compressed the image. But it was literally a "snap shot".
Out of order, on purpose. We had heard about Dark Hollow Falls and decided to go there. It is quite a hike down and more so, back up as attested to by the pile of branches-turned-walking-sticks piled at the top of the trail. I used a tripod and 28mm lens and a long exposure to capture the movement of the water.
In the years before digital cameras and "smart" phones, one could get film developed many places. My choice was the local grocery store. One could get enlargements at a reasonable prices as well. The photo above is 11 by 14 inches. The one below is 16 by 20 inches. 35mm film was used.

One final image, completely WESTERN. My wife shocked me to tears surprising me with this copy of Remington's most famous statue one Christmas!
While it appears he is trying to rope the bison, which is NEVER a good idea, that is just the way I posed them.

And there we have it. You are now up to date on all the artwork in the den/listening room.

Thanks again for looking.

Scott

July 31, 2018
#265