Transformations

Exhibition

Exhibition Overview

Image not available
Transformations
Mary Dusenbury, curator
Alison Miller, curator
Asia Gallery, Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

The spring exhibition in the Asia Gallery addresses the human drive to explore, discover and transform the world around us to meet our needs, to satisfy our curiosity, and to delight us. For instance, in the painting Pine Spirit, Chinese artist Wu Guanzhong looks both to the ancient Chinese tradition of shan-shui-hua and to abstract expressionism, transforming both into a highly individual and compelling vision of "mountains and rivers."

Organized by Mary M. Dusenbury, guest curator of Asian art.

Exhibition images

Works of art

Utagawa Kunisada (1786–1864), courtesans and attendants under a plum tree
Utagawa Kunisada (1786–1864), courtesans and attendants under a plum tree
Utagawa Kunisada
courtesans and attendants under a plum tree
circa 1820s–1830s, Edo period (1600–1868)
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), (Dancers in the Festival at Ōji Shrine)
Utagawa Hiroshige (1797–1858), (Dancers in the Festival at Ōji Shrine)
Utagawa Hiroshige
(Dancers in the Festival at Ōji Shrine)
1857, 7th month, Edo period (1600–1868)
Torii Kiyomasu II (1706–1763), actors Sojuro I and Kikutaro
Torii Kiyomasu II (1706–1763), actors Sojuro I and Kikutaro
Torii Kiyomasu II
actors Sojuro I and Kikutaro
1720s, Edo period (1600–1868)
Kitagawa Utamaro (1754–1806), Painting the Lips
Kitagawa Utamaro (1754–1806), Painting the Lips
Kitagawa Utamaro
Painting the Lips
circa 1794–1795, Edo period (1600–1868)
untitled
untitled
untitled
date unknown
untitled
untitled
untitled
date unknown
untitled
untitled
untitled
date unknown
Orval Hixon (1884–1982), Chic (Charles) Sale
Orval Hixon (1884–1982), Chic (Charles) Sale
Orval Hixon
Chic (Charles) Sale
1918
Orval Hixon (1884–1982), Chic (Charles) Sale
Orval Hixon (1884–1982), Chic (Charles) Sale
Orval Hixon
Chic (Charles) Sale
1918
Orval Hixon (1884–1982), Portrait of Nance O'Neil
Orval Hixon (1884–1982), Portrait of Nance O'Neil
Orval Hixon
Portrait of Nance O'Neil
1921
Orval Hixon (1884–1982), Pearl Magley
Orval Hixon (1884–1982), Pearl Magley
Orval Hixon
Pearl Magley
1920
Yi Fujiu (1698–after 1747), Landscape after Huang Gongwang and Dong Qichang
Yi Fujiu (1698–after 1747), Landscape after Huang Gongwang and Dong Qichang
Yi Fujiu
Landscape after Huang Gongwang and Dong Qichang
early 1700s, Qing dynasty (1644–1911)
Uragami Gyokudō (1745–1820), Heaven is Eternal, the Way Distant
Uragami Gyokudō (1745–1820), Heaven is Eternal, the Way Distant
Uragami Gyokudō
Heaven is Eternal, the Way Distant
circa 1810–1820, Edo period (1600–1868)
Wu Guanzhong (1919–2010), Pine Spirit
Wu Guanzhong (1919–2010), Pine Spirit
Wu Guanzhong
Pine Spirit
1984
Sueharu Fukami (born 1947), 天空II Tenkū II (Heaven II)
Sueharu Fukami (born 1947), 天空II Tenkū II (Heaven II)
Sueharu Fukami
天空II Tenkū II (Heaven II)
1980–1992
Gosōtei Hirosada (active circa 1819–1863), Actor in Role of Ishidamari Busuke
Gosōtei Hirosada (active circa 1819–1863), Actor in Role of Ishidamari Busuke
Gosōtei Hirosada
Actor in Role of Ishidamari Busuke
circa 1860, Edo period (1600–1868) or Meiji period (1868–1912)
Capewell and Kimmel (active 1830–1898), Godey's Fashions for May 1862, in Godey's Lady's Book
Capewell and Kimmel (active 1830–1898), Godey's Fashions for May 1862, in Godey's Lady's Book
Capewell and Kimmel
Godey's Fashions for May 1862, in Godey's Lady's Book
1862
Ding Yanyong (1902–1978), 山水四 Shanshui si (Landscape IV)
Ding Yanyong (1902–1978), 山水四 Shanshui si (Landscape IV)
Ding Yanyong
山水四 Shanshui si (Landscape IV)
1973
Li Huayi (born 1948), The Silence of Pines on Remote Peaks
Li Huayi (born 1948), The Silence of Pines on Remote Peaks
Li Huayi
The Silence of Pines on Remote Peaks
1999
Hashiguchi Goyō (1880–1921), Nagajuban (Long Undergarment)
Hashiguchi Goyō (1880–1921), Nagajuban (Long Undergarment)
Hashiguchi Goyō
Nagajuban (Long Undergarment)
1920, Taisho period (1912–1926)
Zhang Mingzi (born 1950), Waterfall Beyond the Clouds
Zhang Mingzi (born 1950), Waterfall Beyond the Clouds
Zhang Mingzi
Waterfall Beyond the Clouds
circa 1980
Watanabe Nobukazu (1872–1944), Kōi godairei no zu (Picture of Noble's Imperial Ceremony)
Watanabe Nobukazu (1872–1944), Kōi godairei no zu (Picture of Noble's Imperial Ceremony)
Watanabe Nobukazu
Kōi godairei no zu (Picture of Noble's Imperial Ceremony)
1900, Meiji period (1868–1912)
Shimachō
Shimachō
Shimachō
date unknown

Resources

Audio

Didactic – Art Minute
Didactic – Art Minute
Episode 64 Mar-2006, Alison Miller I’m David Cateforis with another Art Minute from the Spencer Museum of Art. Among the most common subjects of Japanese prints during the Edo period are actor pictures. The beginnings of both the kabuki theatre and actor prints in Japan can be traced to the early seventeenth century. During the Edo period, from 1600-1868, kabuki actors were icons of popular culture-celebrities who set trends much as movie stars do today. Kabuki images generally emphasize the appearance of the character rather than the actor, but by the 1760s, artists began to create more realistic portraits. As an additional identity marker, the actor’s personal seal was often included as a pattern or medallion on his costume. Because of concerns over lewd behavior, women were banned from the kabuki stage in 1629, resulting in the creation of the specialized role of the onnagata-a male actor playing a female role. The print artist Torii Kiyomasu II depicts two male actors-one of them in the onnagata role-in a print from the 1720s shown in Transformations, an exhibition that runs through June 18 in the museum’s Asia Gallery. With thanks to Alison Miller for her text, from the Spencer Museum of Art, I’m David Cateforis.