Japan Style: A Conversation of Art and Function
Private collections coupled with modern artists are giving vision to the popular art of Japan at Pueblo’s Sangre de Cristo Arts Center this spring.
The Sangre de Cristo Arts Center is turning Japanese this spring by featuring Japanese pottery, prints, kimono, netsuke, and contemporary art from local Japanese artists in all their galleries.
“Japan Style: The Art of Form and Function” is an inclusive exhibit meant to give visitors an introduction to and understanding of Japanese art.
There are many ties linking Pueblo to Japan if one knows where to look, and one of those ties is Gregory Howell. He’s the owner of the Kadoya Gallery, recipient of the Japan Foreign Minister’s Commendation for his service to the nation of Japan, and the driving force behind Japan Style.
Howell grew up in Japan and opened Kadoya Gallery in the hope that it would help start a conversation in Pueblo about Japanese arts and culture. With Japan Style, he’s continuing that conversation, and curating the White Gallery with objects from his personal collection gathered over a 40-year period.
One of the things that fascinates Howell about Japanese art is how it elevates the form and function of everyday objects to create something beautiful, turning the routine tasks of daily life into an art form. Many of the pieces from Howell’s collection are outstanding examples of this. One of the most personal is the first piece of Japanese art Howell ever bought, a hagoita or badminton paddle that’s about 120 years old.
Layered with materials like fabric, paper, and even hair to create a shadowbox effect, Howell’s hagoita shows a kabuki actor twisted into a dramatic pose. But that’s far from the only everyday object in Howell’s collection, which also includes pieces like the clothing of a Hokkaido farmer, ancient bamboo baskets from the mountain communities of Takayama, and a circular Edo-era lacquer bento box.
To increase understanding of the function of these items and how they operate in daily culture, Howell is providing context for each piece, whether by including photographs or displaying them as they would be found in a traditional Japanese home.
Another example of everyday objects elevated to art are netsuke (pronounced “nets-ka”), a distinctly Japanese art form created for a very specific purpose. These tiny carvings in ivory, bone, wood, and metal look like intricately detailed objects d’art to Westerners, but in Japan they were attached to men’s kimono sashes and used to carry tools like tobacco pipes and pens, since men’s kimono don’t have pockets. Like jewelry, netsuke were fashion accessories reflecting the men’s personality, style, and wealth.
The netsuke are fascinating, depicting mythological creatures, zodiac animals, literary characters, or religious subjects. The netsuke on display at the Sangre come from the collection of Charles Trent, and most are kataborinetsuke, or netsuke sculpted in the round. In the collection you might spot ghosts, dragons, octopuses, or demons.
Speaking of fashion, Doctors Reiko and Mark Clark are lending portions of their kimono collection for Japan Style, including an exquisite wedding kimono ensemble, which is on view in the King Gallery. Literally translating to “thing to wear” in Japanese, the kimono is indelibly associated with Japan in the Western mind. Yet most Americans have only a vague notion of how kimono are worn and the various types. The Clarks’ collection is especially fascinating and illuminating in this case because it shows how kimono styles vary for different seasons, events, and ages.
Also on view in the King Gallery is the Clarks’ collection of ukiyo-e prints. While not functional objects, ukiyo-e prints do depict scenes from everyday life. The Clarks’ print collection features lively scenes of fighting samurai, kabuki theater, sumo wrestling, lovely court ladies, and more, all printed in rich, vibrant colors.
Also on display is a collection of contemporary Japanese pottery in the Hoag Gallery, curated by Howell in cooperation with Robert Yellin, one of the world’s foremost experts on Japanese ceramics.
Ceramics is arguably the highest and most respected form of visual art in Japan, which makes it essential to any discussion of Japanese style. While most Americans treat bowls, plates, and cups as utilitarian objects, in Japan they tie into the cult of food, enhancing the diners’ eating experience by providing aesthetic beauty and a sense of soulfulness when paired correctly with each dish. Contemporary potters work within the guidelines of millennia-old pottery styles, constantly renewing traditional potting methods to create a truly “living” art form.
A perfect example of this is Kato Takahiko, whose work is displayed along with two other Japanese ceramicists, Tanoue Shinya and Hashimoto Machiko. Kato works in the Shigaraki style, one of Japan’s oldest, known for its warm orange color and irregular contours. Kato takes inspiration for his pieces from Shigaraki masterpieces of the 15th and 16th centuries, when the style was favored by Zen masters for use in tea ceremonies, but updates it with new, imaginative shapes and forms. His work and that of the other ceramicists will be available for sale to the public.
Finally, the Sangre is displaying art by three contemporary Japanese artists living in Southern Colorado in its regional gallery space on the ground floor: Riki Takaoka of Pueblo and Margaret Kasahara and Renee Reiko Campbell of Colorado Springs. These artists use traditional Japanese art forms as their starting point for innovative and thoroughly modern art pieces that reflect their personal history and experiences. Takaoka will also be doing live caricature drawings at the Japan Style opening on April 1.
The beauty, elegance, and inventiveness of Japanese arts and style has long fascinated Westerners. Whether you already love Japanese art or have only a passing familiarity with the culture, the Sangre is the perfect place to be this month if you want to experience Japanese art and gain a better understanding of this captivating country.
Japan Style will be up at the Sangre de Cristo Arts Center April 1 — May 21, 2017. Catalogs of the exhibition will be available for preorder. Visit www.sdc-arts.org for more details.
