Art
Masters of Japanese Prints: Nature and Seasons
This month sees the third and final instalment in a series of exhibitions showcasing Bristol’s collection of Japanese woodblock prints.
Bristol Museum & Art Gallery has some 500 ‘floating world pictures’ (ukiyo-e) which celebrate the pleasures of life in Japan. The collection ranks in the top five regional UK collections.
Featuring over 60 rare and colourful woodblock prints, the third exhibition in the Masters of Japanese Prints series will celebrate the Japanese fascination with the turning seasons and nature. It will feature perhaps the most famous Japanese woodblock print of all time – Katsushika Hokusai’s The Great Wave Off Kanagawa.
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“Japan’s four distinct seasons have been a source of inspiration for artists and poets for hundreds of years,” explains Kate Newnham, senior curator of Visual Art at Bristol Museum & Art Gallery. “The prints in this exhibition explore the plants, birds, insects and weather that act as powerful symbols of seasonal change in Japanese culture. The designs celebrate poetic pleasures such as the cherry blossom and wisteria of spring, cicadas and summer festivals, geese flying across the autumn moon, and views of snow in winter.”
May 18-Sept 8, Tue-Sun 10am-5pm. For more info, visit www.bristolmuseums.org.uk/bristol-museum-and-art-gallery/whats-on/masters-of-japanese-prints-nature-and-seasons
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