
Surimono in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
Matthi Forrer(Author)
Hotei Publishing,The Netherlands
1st Edition
Published on 3. December 2012
Book
Leather / fine binding
332 pages
978-90-74822-40-4 (ISBN)
Description
Surimono (literally 'printed things') constitute one of the most delicate genres in Japanese printmaking. This genre fascinates because it combines poetry and image and because it presents a pictorial puzzle, which provides the viewer with a particular insight into the intellectual and literary world of late 18th- and early 19th-century Edo (today's Tokyo). Major artists such as Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Kunisada, Totoya Hokkei and Yashima Gakutei, to name but a few, provided imagery to accompany the poetic exploits of poetry club members. The prints were circulated among networks of poets and friends and, in contrast to other prints of the period, were not produced for commercial gain. Intricate still lifes, historical and mythical heroes, actors on the stage and tranquil landscapes form a visual partnership with the witty poems (kyoka). The beauty of these prints is enhanced by the astonishing printing quality, including the use of metallic pigments and blindprinting.
The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam is home to one of the most important collections of surimono in the world. Two recent major donations have enriched the collection to such a degree that a publication documenting the complete surimono holdings of the museum is justified. The true beauty of the collection can now be appreciated in full, with all the prints illustrated in colour for the first time.
Matthi Forrer's deep understanding of poetry circles and of the major artists of the time has resulted in numerous revisions of the existing descriptions and of previously established chronologies within the genre.
Surimono in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam is thus an essential work of reference and at the same time a source of endless aesthetic enjoyment.
The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam is home to one of the most important collections of surimono in the world. Two recent major donations have enriched the collection to such a degree that a publication documenting the complete surimono holdings of the museum is justified. The true beauty of the collection can now be appreciated in full, with all the prints illustrated in colour for the first time.
Matthi Forrer's deep understanding of poetry circles and of the major artists of the time has resulted in numerous revisions of the existing descriptions and of previously established chronologies within the genre.
Surimono in the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam is thus an essential work of reference and at the same time a source of endless aesthetic enjoyment.
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Amsterdam
Netherlands
Publishing group
Brill
Target group
Scholars, curators, print dealers and collectors of Japanese prints interested in <surimono', Japanese poetry and poetry clubs
Product notice
Cloth
With dust jacket
Illustrations
600 farbige Abbildungen
600 Illustrations, color
Dimensions
Height: 299 mm
Width: 253 mm
Thickness: 32 mm
Weight
2092 gr
ISBN-13
978-90-74822-40-4 (9789074822404)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Matthi Forrer, Curator of Japanese Arts at the National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden,the Netherlands, has published extensively on Hokusai and various related subjects, such as original sketches, book publishing and publishing history, kyoka albums and kyokasurimono.
Moreover, he has curated several exhibitions on Hokusai, Hiroshige, and Sharaku, both in the West and in Japan.
Moreover, he has curated several exhibitions on Hokusai, Hiroshige, and Sharaku, both in the West and in Japan.