Silver Wind: The Arts of Sakai Hoitsu (1761–1828)

Rimpa is a Japanese artistic tradition noted for its decorative and poetic imagery. Sakai Hoitsu was one of the last artists to work in the style, and one of the most notable if undervalued practitioners. In contrast to other Rimpa artists, Hoitsu and his student, Suzuki Kiitsu, “preferred to capture the subject matter of their paintings in fleeting moments precariously caught in time: shaken by rain, bathed in moonlight, or quivering in a chilly evening breeze.” The accompanying text provides rich context, albeit not always targeted toward the uninitiated. This art is not easy to reproduce, yet the book does an excellent job of evoking the expanse and glow of a pair of gold-leaved, six-panel screens by Kiitsu (Morning Glories) as well as the delicate boldness of a painted fan by Hoitsu (‘Akikonomu,’ from The Tale of Genji). This catalogue accompanies an exhibition curated by the Japan Society Gallery in New York running through January 6, 2013, so it includes the work of Hoitsu, but also of his influencers and followers, and unfortunately, constrained by the paintings in the show itself, the book leaves out reproductions of several referenced paintings. Nevertheless, the book should be an important contribution to understanding Japanese art of the period. 110 color illus. (Oct.)