Asian Themes | Harlow Blum Art

Japanese Gardens, 1968-2018

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 21:12:26 -0500

I have found beauty in various gardens from the stroll-through type of garden to the dry landscape garden, the latter of which is typically designed for meditation by the Zen Buddhist monks. Major sources of inspiration for me are the Zen gardens located at Ryoan-ji and Daitoku-ji temples in Kyoto. Rocks and sand are used to represent land forms and the flow of water. Equally interesting to me were the textures and aging forms of the dark brown earthen wall, dating from the 15^th century, which surrounds the garden. The contrast of the wall color with the white sand of the inner garden inspired this series.

"Daisen-in"

"Garden at Taizo-in"

"Japanese Garden Triptych"

"Japanese-style Rock Garden at 15ll"

"Moss Garden Path"

"Ryan-ji Temple Garden"

"Ryoan-ji #1"

"Ryoan-ji Garden Etching"

"Ryoan-ji Monoprint"

"Ryoan-ji Rust Garden"

"Ryoan-ji Variation #8"

"Ryoan-ji Variation #9-93"

"Ryoan-ju Variation #11-93"

"Ryoanji Variation"

"Ryoan-ji with Rock Arrangement"

"Sketches from Japanese Temple Garden"

"Step Stones Path"

"Twilight View"

"View at Ryoan-ji"

"Zen Garden"

Broadway Garden Wall"

Ryoan-ji Garden Wall"

Japanese Tea Houses, 1967-2016

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 20:51:10 -0500

The tea hut is a small structure, usually in a garden, in which people are seated for the traditional tea ceremony. The simple décor consists of windows and doors made of wooden lattice covered by translucent Japanese paper, tatami mat floors, and a tokonoma or alcove in which art works and flowers are displayed.

"Dream of Sen-no- Rikyu"

"Fukinuki Yatai #1 (Bird's Eye View)"

"Fukinuki Yatai" #2 (Birds' Eye View)

"Genji #22"

"Golden Pavilion"

"Interior at Katsura"

"Japanese Teahouse Exterior"

"Katsura Interior"

"Kyoto Textures"

"Rikyu's Tea House"

"Rust Tea Bowl"

"Sprit of Wood"

"Tea House #5"

"Tea House #10"

"Tea House Garden View Study"

"Tea House Interior"

"Tea House Mountain View"

"Tea House Path"

"Tea House with "Rust Pillar" 2

"Tea House Variations"

"Tea House Window - 04"

"Tea House Window"

"Tea House with "Rust Pillar"

"Tea House: Tokonoma"

"Tea Window"

"The Golden Pavilion"

"Twilight View"

"Window Series #1" (in stand)

"Window Series #1"

"Window Series #3- 00"

"Window Series #4-2000"

"Window Series #8"

"Window Series #10 - '00"

"Window Series #12"

"Yellow Tea Bowl"

Tale of Genji & Kimono Works, 1967-2017

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 20:49:00 -0500

In these works I have responded to the subtle coloring and paper of the Genji scroll painting which dates from the 12^th c. and corresponds to many of the chapters in the historic novel of that period, “The Tale of Genji,” by Lady Murasaki. It mirrors the court life and aesthetic preoccupations of the Heian period aristocracy. The scroll uses the “bird’s eye view” perspective of looking into a room from above and depicts the women subjects dressed in several layers of formal kimono with long flowing black hair.

'Study for Genji and Murasaki Visit"

"Early Morning: Genji Series"

"Flowered Kimono"

"Genji #1"

"Genji #22 - A"

"Genji #32

"Genji 30"

"Genji and Murasaki"

"Genji Series" Murasaki"

"Genji Series #23"

"Genji Series #24"

"Genji Series #26"

"Genji 40"

"Genji Series: Moongazing"

"Genji's Visit"

"Genji"s Visit"

"Kimono Figure Study"

"Murasaki #2"

"Murasaki #4"

"Murasaki in Red Kimono"

"Murasaki"

"Orange Kimono"

"Pillow Book Beauty"

"Red Warrior Kimono"

Noh Theatre, 1970-1990

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 20:47:54 -0500

My interest in Noh classical dance and the colorful costumes worn by the actors is reflected in several works in this theme, incorporating Japanese brocades, papers, and felt as the primary materials.

"Blue Noh"

"Noh - 1-'88"

"Noh #2-76"

"Noh #4 - 88"

"Noh #5"

"Noh #6"

"Noh Dancer with Mask"

"Noh Dancer"

"Noh Drama Sketches"

"Noh Mask"

"Purple Noh #7"

"Purple Noh"

"Purple Kimono"

Guardians - Warriors

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 20:43:18 -0500

I have been fascinated by the expressive figures of the guardians who protect the Buddhist temples and by the shapes and colors in the armor suits worn by Japanese samurai, all of which have inspired my work in these themes.

"Collage Composition with Nio (Temple Guardian)"

"Guardian"

"Kabuki Samurai"

"Warrior"

Warriors

General Asian Themes 1965-2018

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 20:41:31 -0500

My study of art traditions in several Asian countries such as China, Korea, Indonesia, and Japan, has inspired works based on a wide range of subject matter.

"Airing the Futon"

"Black Fuji"

"Chinese Vessel"

"Dance of Won Kyung Cho"

"Dawn at Borobudor"

"Farewell to Showa"

"Guardian"

"Japanese Farm House"

"Kabuki Samurai"

"Kurashiki (Japan) Grannery"

"Mountain Farm House"

"Mt Fuji"

"Mt. Fuji Reflection"

"Nagusama Mt."

"One Thousand Cranes"

"Seated Buddha with Attendants"

Sung Dancer"

"The Four Directions"

"Thousand Crane Series"

"View at Wakayama"

"Washi: Drying the Paper"

"White Crane"

"Zen Symbols: Heaven, Man, & Earth"

Fish Market

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 20:40:56 -0500

While living in Japan and shopping at the local fish market, I became fascinated by the thin pieces of Japanese cedar on which our fish purchases were placed before being wrapped. Later I purchased bundles of the cedar pieces from a wholesale vendor at the Tsukiji Fish Market in Tokyo which provided material for this series of works. For me, the nuances in the wood suggest the light found on the water, the ripple of the stream, and the hint of a fish gliding by.

"Fish Market #1-12"

"Fish Market Series "99-7"

"Fish Market Series #6"

"Fish Market Series #99-1"

"Fish Market Series #99-9"

Crown Series

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 20:34:34 -0500

This series reflects the intensity of my response to a 5^th century A.D. Korean Silla dynasty crown, discovered in an excavation in 1973 and now located in Seoul at the National Museum of Korea. It has been my intention to capture the spirit of this form which consists of jade crescents with gold spangles and threads hanging down from the crown’s vertical elements.

"Gold Crown #4A

"Gold Crown #5"

"Gold Crown Series"

"Gold Crown #4"

"Gold Crown"

Bamboo Series, 1986-2013

Thu, 11 Oct 2018 20:32:42 -0500

I came under the spell of bamboo, the subject of many Asian artists, when I explored a bamboo grove located close to my studio just outside of Kyoto. Later I found some dyed handmade paper that resembled bamboo and thus the creative process began as I gathered other materials for collages with bamboo forms.