The Arts of Japan, in two volumes, is a profusely illustrated, comprehensive survey of Japanese art from prehistoric times to the middle of the twentieth century. Every field of Japanese fine arts and many types of decorative and folk arts are covered-sculpture, painting, architecture, garden design, ceramics, lacquerware, textiles, swords. When this book was first published in a deluxe edition in 1966, the quality of its scholarship was widely acclaimed, and it became a standard reference that has yet to be superseded. This competitively priced edition contains the complete text and all the illustrations of the original; the bibliographies have been revised and updated. The first volume focuses on Japanese art history to the end of the sixteenth century, from the arts and tomb artifacts of prehistoric Japan to the Buddhist and secular arts that were developed in the successive capitals at Nara and Kyoto as well as in provincial centers. The second volume, covering the period from the end of the sixteenth to mid-twentieth century, records the appearance of a new epoch in Japanese art, when artists turned from the service of religion to direct portrayals of man and nature. The distinctly modern flavor of this art has as much direct appeal to a modern audience as it had to the people of earlier times.
Language Notes
Text: English, Japanese (translation)
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