Swirling snow Tomoe no yuki Flowers of a hundred worlds (series title) Momoyogusa, vol. 1 by Kamisaka Sekka – 1909 – buy prints
Kamisaka Sekka (Japanese 1866 – 1942) produced his woodblock print masterpiece Momoyogusa (A World of Things) between 1909 and 1910.
The three-volume set of 60 images, commissioned by the publishing firm Unsōdō of Kyoto, borrows its name from the eighth-century poetic text Collection of Ten Thousand Leaves (Man’yōshū), which refers to a multi-leaved autumnal herb (momoyogusa), possibly a chrysanthemum or wormwood.
Considered the father of Japanese modern design, Kamisaka Sekka was born in Kyoto in 1860.
He became a master of the historic Japanese tradition known as Rinpa (琳派), combining this traditional Japanese style with his own innovations, much of it rooted by a keen interest in modern European industrial design sparked by a trip to the 1901 Paris International Exposition.
Founded by Hon’ami Kōetsu (1558–1637) and Tawaraya Sōtatsu (died ca. 1640), Rinpa’s highly decorative style often depicted scenes from the natural world and Japanese literature, notably The Tale of Genji, The Tales of Ise and Heian-period poems composed by courtiers.
Characteristics of the Rinpa school include large planes of vivid colour to create a flattened pictorial space, abstracted compositions, and the use of mica, gold and silver leaf.
Sekka’s designs incorporate traditional Rinpa techniques and subjects, such as Japanese tales and nature scenes, with pioneering, more abstracted compositions and bright aniline dyes.
In addition to paintings and woodblock prints, Sekka applied the Rinpa philosophy to decorative arts, including ceramics, lacquer ware, textiles, and screens, emphasising the importance of beautiful design in everyday life.
Pulling a Boat Mifune Flowers of a Hundred Worlds (series title) Momoyogusa (series title) by Kamisaka Sekka 1909, buy prints
Kasugano Flowers of a Hundred Worlds (series title) Momoyogusa, vol. 1 by Kamisaka Sekka – 1909, buy prints
Sekka taught at the Kyoto Municipal School of Arts and Crafts, influencing many younger artists and revitalising traditional craft forms in Kyoto. Sekka’s two masterwork series are A Thousand Grasses (Chigusa), published in 1899, and A World of Things (Momoyogusa), designed from 1909-1910.
Incense supplies – buy prints
White heron Shirasagi Flowers of a hundred worlds (series title) Momoyogusa, vol.1 by Kamisaka Sekka, 1909, buy prints
White phoenix Hakuho Flowers of a Hundred Worlds (series title) Momoyogusa (series title) by Kamisaka Sekka – 1909, buy prints
Nonomiya Flowers of a Hundred Worlds (series title) Momoyogusa, vol. 1 (series title) by Kamisaka Sekka – 1909, buy prints
Bamboo in snow Settchu take Flowers of a hundred worlds (series title) Momoyogusa, vol. 1 (series title) – 1909, buy prints
Mounti Fuji Bloemen by Kamisaka Sekka, May 1909, buy prints
Spring Yayoi Flowers of a Hundred Worlds (series title) Momoyogusa, vol. 1 by Kamisaka Sekka – 1909
Via: Fuji Arts
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