Cultural News, 2010 November Issue
Luminosity in Monochrome Part 2: The Life of the Mind, Japanese Ink Painting and Calligraphy, November 20 through January 22
On November 21, at 2:00 pm, the opening lecture “The Life of the Mind” will be held by Rhiannon Paget and Dr. Andreas Marks, Director of the Clark Center. Reservation required. Fees are $10 non-members.
The Clark Center for Japanese Art & Culture is open to the public Tuesday through Saturday, 12:30 to 5:00 pm with a Docent Tour every Saturday at 1:00 pm. Admission is $5 for adults, $3 for students and active military (with ID), 12 and under are free. Closed on National Holidays and the month of August.
The Clark Center is located at 15770 10th Ave, Hanford, CA 93230. (559) 584-4915. www.ccjac.org
By Rhiannon Paget in Hanford, California
Museums often have a signature piece – a coveted masterpiece by a famous artist, preferably monumental in scale, permanently installed in a position of maximum impact, or brought out for tantalizing glimpses according the allowances of a strict conservator.
At the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture in Hanford, California, one of the best collections of Japanese art in the US, there are many works by highly regarded artists that could equally fill this position of honor. On the other hand, there are also many fascinating works by artists who for various reasons remain little known today.
One such artist is the Confucian scholar Doi Goga (1817–1880), an artist who will be featured prominently in the Clark Center’s upcoming exhibition of ink painting and calligraphy, Luminosity in Monochrome Part 2: The Life of the Mind, opening November 20. Visitors to our spring exhibition will remember seeing an ink painting of two dancing skeletons, an adult and a child. Not surprisingly, this macabre piece elicited a range of reactions from viewers – some people found it chilling, some humorous, while others were captivated by the unusual style and exuberant brushwork.
The Life of the Mind features four ink paintings by Goga, including another skeleton and a kappa (the cucumber-munching river goblin for which kappa-zushi is named). These have been chosen from a total of sixteen works by this artist in the Clark Center’s collection, which comprise paintings of ghosts, deities, bamboo, and calligraphy.
Characteristic of Goga’s works are blunt, velvety black brushstrokes bleeding into the surrounding paper, exaggerated incidences of “flying white” (the streaking effect caused by a dry brush), paler strokes conveying depth, and perhaps most curiously, the incorporation of his seals into the pictorial space. This playful device was used sometimes in Japanese woodblock prints, but is rarely seen in painting.
The unusual subject matter and quirky style of Goga’s creations were perhaps inspired by Zen Buddhist painting, which valued spontaneity and directness. Some of his paintings are inscribed with biting admonishments of Confucian sentiment; for example, ‘A beautiful form means nothing; just look to the workings of your skull.’ This is not unlike works by Zen priests that used satirical or cryptic statements to startle their beholders into enlightenment. His works also allude to Daoist legend; for example, his kappa refers to Tekkai Sennin, one of the Eight Immortals who is often depicted exhaling his soul in preparation for out-of-body travel.
During his lifetime, Goga was a public intellectual and social critic. As a child, Goga excelled at reading and writing, and after his father’s death, the twelve-year-old Goga inherited his government teaching position. He later lost the sight in one eye, and the fear that he might become completely blind apparently compelled him to memorize slabs of text from the Confucian canon. He taught widely during his career, and wrote brazenly of the hypocrisy and corruption he saw in Confucianism. Perhaps wisely, his writings were not published until after his death.
Doi Goga’s paintings will hang side by side with artworks by internationally renowned artists, including two paintings by the Zen painter-priests Hakuin Ekaku (1685–1768) and Sengai Gibon (1750–1837), generously on loan from the Sanso Collection. Another highlight is a 10 x 10 foot calligraphic work by Hirano Isa, a young artist based in Tokyo. Visitors to Luminosity in Monochrome Part 2: The Life of the Mind thus have the opportunity to view masterpieces by famous artists, as well as works, no less illuminating, by artists that they may have never encountered before.
Rhiannon Paget is Curatorial Assistant at the Clark Center for Japanese Art and Culture, and the curator of “Luminosity in Monochrome: Japanese Ink Painting and Calligraphy”. She has an MA in Art History from the University of Sydney, Australia, and is hoping to resume her studies in 2011.