300 illustrations in colour, 180 signatures.

Pressure exerted by America in 1854 caused Japan to open its doors after 260 years of isolation. Virtually uninhibited receptiveness to everything Western was the driving force behind the modernisation of Japan initiated by the Meiji government yet it also induced a rapid rediscovery of indigenous cultural values. At early Paris and London international exhibitions, the Japanese decorative and applied arts sparked off the Western fascination with all things Japanese – japonisme. In Japan, on the other hand, new technologies were eagerly adopted – the government realised that increasing production for export would be an excellent means of promoting Japanese economic growth and thus enhancing Japan’s status worldwide.

 The present publication represents the first detailed survey of the development of Japanese export porcelain against a highly charged background of political, economic and cultural factors. Stylistic development in Japanese ceramics did not mean one-sided Westernisation; instead, inspiration went both ways, most notably in the impact made by Japanese art on Art Nouveau/Jugendstil and, ultimately, the Japanese aesthetic response to it.

This is the first complete survey of Japanese export porcelain from the Meiji era to be published in English – a benchmark standard work for specialists and an insider tip for lovers of porcelain and anyone interested in Art Nouveau and Japan.

Ukiyo-e: 139 reproductions, grouped by artist, each accompanied by a detailed commentary

This volume reproduces 139 Japanese woodblock colour prints by 43 famous masters of ukiyo-e, the popular art of the 17th to the 19th century. The originals are in the Riccar Art Museum in Tokyo, the world's largest and most celebrated collection of such prints. On account of their rarity and value, 87 of them have been designated Japanese National Treasures or Major National Cultural Heritage Items.

The introductory essay, "Ukiyo-e - Origins and History", by the Curator of the Riccar Art Museum, Mitsunobu Sato, familiarizes the reader with the history of this art form. This is followed by the chapter "Cherry - Wood - Blossom", in which Thomas Zacharias, Professor at the Munich Academy of Art examines the technique, content and style of Japanese prints and their influence on European art at the turn of the century.

The major section of the book consists of the 139 reproductions, grouped by artist, each accompanied by a detailed, sensitive commentary. Street scenes, lovers' trysts, festivals, portraits of courtesans and actors, landscapes and travelogues - these are the motifs of the ukiyo-e print. The dominant theme, however, is woman's beauty, the grace of her posture and attitudes, and the decorative aesthetics of her flowing garments. Amongst the most celebrated of the artists featured here are Utamaro, with his beautiful courtesans and geishas; Sharaku, with his portraits of actors on the kabuki stage; Hokusai, with his landscapes, among them the "36 Views of Mount Fuji"; and Hiroshige, with his "53 Stations on the Tokaido" and his "100 Views of Famous Places in and around Edo".

The ten-page appendix includes a glossary of technical terms and biographies of all 43 artists

The author:

Gabriele Fahr-Becker studied art history, archaeology, and philosophy, and gained her doctorate from Munich University in 1970 with a thesis on Art Nouveau. She has published numerous books on turn-of-the-century art.

Посмотреть русскоязычное издание этой книги - Японская гравюра

The Japanese garden, like all gardens, is more than mere nature; it is nature crafted by man. It needs the hands of the designer to give it meaning.

The Japanese garden belongs to the realm of architecture; at its best, it is nature as art. The phases of its history document the constant redefinition of man's position within and towards nature. Its changing forms respond both to socio-economic developments and to religious and philosophical trends, and thereby reflect the spiritual climate in which its architecture was conceived.

At the same time as detailing the characteristics distinguishing and differentiating each of the five major epochs in the history of the Japanese garden, the author identifies the common motif which underlies them all: the recurrent attempt to unite beauty as natural accident and beauty as human-perfected type, to achieve an aesthetic symbiosis between the seeming randomness of natural form and the strict geometry of the right angle.

History, technique, content and style of Japanese prints This volume reproduces 139 Japanese woodblock colour prints by 43 famous masters of ukiyo-e, the popular art of the 17th to the 19th century. The originals are in the Riccar Art Museum in Tokyo, the world's largest and most celebrated collection of such prints. On account of their rarity and value, 87 of them have been designated Japanese National Treasures or Major National Cultural Heritage Items. The introductory essay, "Ukiyo-e - Origins and History", by the Curator of the Riccar Art Museum, Mitsunobu Sato, familiarizes the reader with the history of this art form.

This is followed by the chapter "Cherry - Wood - Blossom", in which Thomas Zacharias, Professor at the Munich Academy of Art examines the technique, content and style of Japanese prints and their influence on European art at the turn of the century.

The major section of the book consists of the 139 reproductions, grouped by artist, each accompanied by a detailed, sensitive commentary. Street scenes, lovers' trysts, festivals, portraits of courtesans and actors, landscapes and travelogues - these are the motifs of the ukiyo-e print. The dominant theme, however, is woman's beauty, the grace of her posture and attitudes, and the decorative aesthetics of her flowing garments. Amongst the most celebrated of the artists featured here are Utamaro, with his beautiful courtesans and geishas; Sharaku, with his portraits of actors on the kabuki stage; Hokusai, with his landscapes, among them the "36 Views of Mount Fuji"; and Hiroshige, with his "53 Stations on the To-kaido-" and his "100 Views of Famous Places in and around Edo".

The ten-page appendix includes a glossary of technical terms and biographies of all 43 artists.

The very best designs from all over Japan with a historical overview of the role of the Onsen.

Первые изображения укие-э появились в XVII веке в Японии, в г. Эдо (современный Токио). Крупнейший город той эпохи, Эдо способствовал расцвету своеобразной городской культуры. Художники живо и ярко отображали радостные стороны жизни горожан. Именно поэтому их работы были известны как укие-э, или "картины изменчивого мира".

В основном термином укие-э называют ксилографии - изображения, которые граверы печатали с деревянных досок, подготовленных по оригинальным эскизам художников. Поскольку гравюры на дереве недороги, их можно было печатать массовыми тиражами. Гравюры отображали широкий диапазон тем: сцены повседневной жизни Эдо, виды достопримечательностей, зарисовки на исторические темы, пейзажи, изображения животных и цветов в разные времена года, эротические картинки, - словом, не было таких сюжетов, которые остались бы неохваченными. Особым спросом пользовались театральные сцены и сюжеты из жизни "веселых кварталов", в которых жители Эдо искали удовольствий и развлечений. Изображения куртизанок, гейш и служанок чайных домов были отдельным направлением в укие-э и назывались бидзин-га ("изображения красивых женщин"). Большой популярностью пользовались также якуся-э, изображавшие актеров театра Кабуки в знаменитых ролях.

Посмотреть англоязычное издание этой книги - Japanese Prints

This second installment in the new Top Architects series is dedicated to the best architects from Japan. Together with renowned names such as Tadao Ando, Toyo Ito, Shigeru Ban, Kazuyo Sejima and Ryue Nishizawa, Arata Isozaki, and Waro Kishi, this book presents rising stars in architecture in Japan. Each of the profiled works includes a biographical review of the architect and the architect's general vision of the work.

Modelled on the format of Modern House, Modern House 2 and Modern House 3, Modern Japanese House is an overview of recent domestic design trends in Japan and features an array of projects from a variety of architects, both known and new to the international architecture scene. The projects are divided into five chapters - Tiny Houses, Inside/ Outside, Multi Generation Houses, Work/Play, and Vacation Houses - that reflect the issues particular to residential design in Japan. Architects featured include such familiar figures as Kazuyo Sejima, Jun Aoki, Shigeru Ban, Hitoshi Abe and Shuhei Endo, as well as lesser known practitioners such as Nobuaki Furuya and Hiroshii Nakao, among others.

Перед вами книга, которая представляет элементы китайских и японских декоративных орнаментов. Китайские и японские орнаментальные традиции приобрели популярность во всём мире.

Альбом содержит предисловие на английском, испанском, немецком, итальянском, французском, китайском и японском языках. В издание вошли прекрасные японские мотивы, которые можно использовать как для создания самостоятельных работ, так и для вдохновения. На прилагаемом CD-диске все иллюстрации выполнены в формате с высоким разрешением, они готовы для использования в профессиональной печати и Web-дизайне.