Lecture and slide presentation: Against the Grain: An Aesthetics of Japanese Popular Prints, 1915-1960

Eyebrow Pencil by Ito Shinsui, 1928

Most studies of modern Japanese art privilege the avant-garde and marginalize that which is too overtly commercial, sentimental or traditional. Those few examinations of conservative modern artistic movements tend to focus on biography or social context, thus avoiding the presumably dubious issue of aesthetics. This talk will attempt to elucidate and account for the concepts of beauty active in the modern prints known collectively as Shin hanga.
Co-sponsored by the Ukiyo-e Society of America, Inc.