Tomoko Hori - The Japan Times

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Tomoko Hori

For Tomoko Hori's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 22, 2011

"Yuka Shimada & Julia Vuori Picture Book Art Exhibition: The World of Bam & Kero, And Sika"

Though based respectively in Canada and Finland, picture-book artists Yuka Shimada and Julia Vuori struck up a friendship after Shimada discovered Vuori's illustrations at the Bologna Children's Book Fair Illustrators Exhibition, which was held in Tokyo some 20 years ago.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 15, 2011

"Hiroshi Sugimoto Origins of Art: History"

A year-long project, "Origins of Art" is a four-part exhibition, which began at the Marugame Genichiro-Inokuma Museum of Contemporary Art in November last year. Its aim is to explore the inspirations behind Sugimoto's photography.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 15, 2011

"The 100th Anniversary Of Felix Hoffman Exhibition: The Beautiful Picture Book As A Gift"

In Japan, Swiss painter Felix Hoffman (1911-75) is known for illustrating popular children's picture books such as "The Wolf and the Seven Little Kids" and "Sleeping Beauty." In his home country of Switzerland, however, he is also recognized as an artist in various genres including prints, murals and stained glass.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 15, 2011

"Creatures' Paradise: Animals in Art from fhe Kyoto National Museum"

For those who aren't familiar with Japanese art, works with animal motifs may be more accessible and enjoyable to see.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 8, 2011

"Pottery from Hyogo's Five Provinces"

The Museum of Ceramic Art, Hyogo — founded in 2005 in Tachikui, home to Tamba Tachikui ware pottery — has an important role as a research facility for those interested in Hyogo-based ceramics, such as Tamba, Sanda and Minpei wares.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 8, 2011

"Daido Moriyama: On The Road"

Daido Moriyama (b. 1938) is one of Japan's leading photographers.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 8, 2011

"Collection of Beautiful Women in Art: Gorgeous Women in Japanese Paintings"

The beauty of women has long been a favorite subject for many artists. For example, during the Heian Period (794-1185), beautiful women were often depicted on picture scrolls, and in the Edo Period (1603-1867) they were seen in ukiyo-e (Japanese-genre paintings and prints).

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 1, 2011

"Fossil: Messages From the Past"

This show presents about 900 fossils spanning billions of years of Earth's existence. The collection, which includes fossils of dinosaurs, plants, and insects trapped in resin, is displayed in chronological order so that visitors can not only learn about fossilization, but also visualize the evolution of creatures that existed in prehistoric times.

CULTURE / Art

Jul 1, 2011

After spending his childhood in Hokkaido, Miyagi Prefecture native Churyo Sato (1912-2011) moved to Tokyo in 1932 to become a painter. However, once he saw the works of French sculptors Aristide Maillol (1861-1944) and Charles Despiau (1874-1946) while looking through art magazines, he decided to focus on sculpture.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jul 1, 2011

"White: Tadaaki Kuwayama: Osaka Project"

Tadaaki Kuwayama (b. 1932) moved to New York in 1960 and has been based there since. He explores minimalist expressions through his art and his early paintings are known for their monochrome colors and hard, inorganic appearance. Since the 1990s, however, Kuwayama has garnered much attention for his experimental installations using various materials, such as plastic and aluminum, in repetitive forms.

CULTURE / Art

Jun 24, 2011

"Communication: Visualizing the Human Connection in the Age of Vermeer"

This exhibition explores the various means of communication of 17th-century Dutch society, including the exchange of letters and documents between family members, couples and business workers. Dutch painters of that time often depicted people writing and reading, focusing on the subtle expressions of the subjects.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 24, 2011

"Jim Dine: Theme And Variation: A Half Century of Printmaking"

The U.S. pop artist Jim Dine (b. 1935) is known for his wide repertoire of artistic skills, which include painting, printmaking, sculpture and photography. He first came to attention in America during the 1960s and has since created many unique works.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 24, 2011

"Kansai Chairs Now: Have a Seat in Oyamazaki Villa"

The chair, being both functional and open to artistic design, has always been an interesting subject for craftsmen and designers. While those created by famous overseas designers such as Charles Eames, Jr. (1907-78) and Charles Mackintosh (1868-1928) are popular in Japan, some Japanese artists are now focusing on making chairs that are more suited to the Japanese lifestyle.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 17, 2011

"Asakawa Noritaka & Takumi Brothers: Their Souls and Their Visions"

Noritaka (1884-1964) and Takumi Asakawa (1891-1931) played leading roles in publicizing Korean ceramics and crafts from the Joseon Dynasty (1392-1897) when they started to gain attention here in the 1920s.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 17, 2011

"Kyuyo Ishikawa: Calligraphy, Sake Drinking Ware and The Tale of Genji"

Fukui Prefecture native Kyuyo Ishikawa (b. 1945) is a chirographer and a leading expert in calligraphy and its history. His "Sakazuki Senjimon" series comprises 1,000 sake drinking cups, on which he wrote each of the 1,000 characters of "The Senjimon," a poem also known as "The Thousand-Character Classic." The Chinese poem was used there for many centuries to teach children Chinese characters.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 17, 2011

"MR. T's Collection: Modern Paintings and Sculptures at Home and Abroad"

"Mr. T's Collection" comprises around 300 art works that were acquired by an unnamed Kinki region-based art collector over a half-century. It includes modern and contemporary paintings, prints, sculptures and ceramics.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 10, 2011

"Yoshihiko Yoshida & Isao Hayashi"

Yoshihiko Yoshida (1912-2001), nihonga (Japanese painting) artist and professor at Tokyo University of the Arts, was inspired by the importance of learning from ancient masterpieces, as was taught to him by the nihonga painter Gyoshu Hayami (1894-1935). He later joined a group of artists to replicate the murals of Horyu-ji Temple's Kondo main hall, in Nara Prefecture, as part of the temple's restoration project. Isao Hayashi (1946-2000) studied under Yoshida and later became the frontrunner of ancient-painting researchers.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 10, 2011

"The Birth Of European Porcelain: Celebrating 300 Years Of Meissen Ware"

In 1710, Germany's Meissen kiln succeeded in making, for the first time in Europe, hard-paste porcelain, a Western equivalent of China-ware from the East. It has been 300 years since the Meissen kiln was established under the patronage of then Elector of Saxony, Augustus the Strong.

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 10, 2011

"People Who Lived in the Azuchi-momoyama and Edo Periods: Portraits, Genre Paintings and Ukiyo-e"

Nara Prefectural Museum of Art has in its collection nihonga (Japanese painting) works mainly from the Edo Period (1603-1867), which were donated to Nara Prefecture by Kanpo

Japan Times

CULTURE / Art

Jun 3, 2011

"Expressing Ocean And Water in Modern Art — Paul Signac, Fukuda Heihachiro, Sugimoto Hiroshi and Others"

In ancient times, Osaka flourished as a hub port connecting other regions of Japan. Its rivers, canals and seaways played a vital role in transportation and trade, and before the end of the Edo Period (1603-1867) it had developed into Japan's economic center. The Osaka City Museum of Modern Art, now at the planning stage, will be built in the Nakanoshima district of Kita Ward, a narrow sandbank between the Dojima and Tosabori rivers that is considered by many as a symbol of Osaka.

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