An in-depth look at the hand-drawn anime hit!

Ponyo, loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, is a hand-drawn feature-length film of breathtaking beauty and charm. The art of the film entails not only cels, but striking watercolor and pastel concept sketches and layout pages. Interviews with production principles about their daring choice to hand draw a film in the age of CGI, and the voice-over screenplay itself, complete the package.

Ponyo, loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid, is a hand-drawn feature-length film of breathtaking beauty and charm. The art of the film entails not only cels, but striking watercolor and pastel concept sketches and layout pages. Interviews with production principles about their daring choice to hand draw a film in the age of CGI, and the voice-over screenplay itself, complete the package.

Exploring the significance of Tibetan mandalas from their ancient origins to the present day, this gorgeously illustrated volume provides a contemporary perspective on a centuries-old Buddhist model of the universe

A New York Times Best Art Book of 2024

A mandala is a diagram of the universe--a map of true reality intended to provide a focus for Buddhist religious practice and inspire the devout. This book highlights the distinctive Tibetan approach to creating mandalas, exploring how the form crossed over from India into Tibet, and how continuous exchanges of art and ideas between the two cultures, led by monks and spiritual teachers, gave rise to a uniquely Tibetan style of Buddhist imagery. Featuring more than one hundred paintings, sculptures, and ritual objects, this superbly illustrated volume reflects the dazzling complexities of the Tibetan imagery that has provided a foundation for mandalas through the centuries. Most notably, a mesmerizing installation by the Tibetan-American artist Tenzing Rigdol (b. 1982), specially created for the accompanying exhibition and published here for the first time, offers contemporary audiences a way of interrogating and understanding their world and underscores how this ancient tradition remains a vibrant living practice.

Published by The Metropolitan Museum of Art/Distributed by Yale University Press

Exhibition Schedule:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
(September 19, 2024-January 12, 2025)

This engaging book tells the story clearly and vividly from the first, still mysterious, beginnings in the Indus valley, through the great masterpieces of Buddhist and Hindu art to the coming of Islam, the eclectic culture of the Mughal court, and the golden age of miniature painting. Much of Indian art is immediately accessible to the outsider, but much is also enigmatic, needing interpretation and guidance before it can be enjoyed in depth: the strange pantheon of the Hindu gods, the subtle insights of Buddhist mysticism, or the complex symbolism of the miniatures. For this edition, the late Professor Craven thoroughly revised the text and incorporated works by contemporary artists, linking their achievements to the traditions of Indian art. A new glossary and time line are also included.

Countless Sands presents engaging analyses of the diverse relationships between Buddhism and the environment that existed in medieval Asia. Recent years have witnessed a surge in publications across the humanities that advance powerful ethical and political arguments to account for the human failure to respond effectively to global climate change. While the contributors to this volume are attuned to this challenge, rather than present explicit political arguments, they pursue a subtler effort to historicize the environment as a site and subject of Buddhist practice while providing research grounded in rigorous analysis of complex and fragmentary sources. The volume thereby mitigates against the Orientalist, East-West binaries that have long informed the invocation of Buddhism in Euro-American environmental discourses. As the chapters collectively demonstrate, there was no singular, consistently Buddhist understanding of the natural world, but innumerable, varied engagements preserved in discrete texts, images, and artifacts.

Through specific case studies, the authors consider such questions as: How did premodern Buddhists understand what we today call the environment? How did they think about their earth? How, when, and where did the various processes of the earth actually impinge on the practices of historical Buddhists? What kinds of environmental imaginations informed specific Buddhist practices? In so doing, the authors explore the connections between the ways in which historical Buddhist communities interacted with their environments and how they understood those environments. In the broader field of Buddhist studies, Countless Sands contributes to ongoing efforts to expand the locus of inquiry from textually based investigations of Buddhist doctrine to a broader examination of the complex and varied place of Buddhism in the lives of historical communities. The book furthers this broader process by casting it in environmental terms and will engage readers looking for models of thought-provoking historical analysis on environmental themes.

South Korean culture has made a significant impact on the global stage in recent decades, gaining immense popularity and influencing art, entertainment, fashion, and lifestyle while captivating global audiences with its creativity, authenticity, and fusion of traditional and modern elements. Showcasing a handpicked selection of design projects that span visual identities, brand designs, packaging, posters, graphics, fashion, spatial design, and more, this book celebrates the talent of established and emerging creatives and studios in South Korea, and offers a glimpse into the innovative and dynamic landscape of modern Korean design. Featuring a collection of projects, case studies and interviews with the country's top design studios and creatives.

In the tradition of Celestial Gallery, this unique collection of striking Tibetan-style thangka paintings of the Goddesses of the Celestial Gallery are presented together for the first time, in this book-shelf sized format. Reproduced from the master painter Romio Shrestha and his team of artisan monks, who render postmodern interpretations of an age-old Tibetan artistic tradition. Made from malachite, lapis and marigolds and painted at times with just three hairs of a cat's tail, these paintings are produced in hauntingly powerful detail. Goddesses depicted include: the goddesses of the arts Saraswati; the Divine Mother White Tara a protector and preserver; the Protectress Green Tara: the Dark Goddesses Palden Lhamo, guardian of the lineage of the Dalai Lamas; and Kali, a wild and uncontrollable consort of Shiva, a devotee of time and keeper of the shadows within ourselves.

Traditional Japanese packaging is an art form that applies sophisticated design and natural aesthetics to simple objects. In this elegant presentation of the baskets, boxes, wrappers, and containers that were used in ordinary, day-to-day life, we are offered a stunning example of a time before mass production. Largely constructed of bamboo, rice straw, hemp twine, paper, and leaves, all of the objects shown here are made from natural materials. Through 221 black-and-white photographs of authentic examples of traditional Japanese packaging--with commentary on the origins, materials, and use of each piece--the items here offer a look into a lost art, while also reminding us of the connection to nature and the human imprint of handwork that was once so alive and vibrant in our everyday lives. This classic book was originally published under the title How to Wrap Five More Eggs in 1975.

The eminent American designer George Nelson praised the work featured here, saying, We have come a long, long way from the kind of thing so beautifully presented in this book. To suit the needs of super mass production, the traditional natural materials are too obstreperous . . . and one by one we have replaced them with the docile, predicable synthetics. . . . What we have gained from these new] materials and wonderfully complicated processes to make up for the general pollution, rush, crowding, noise, sickness, and slickness is a subject for other forums. But what we have lost for sure is what this book is all about: a once-common sense of fitness in the relationships between hand, material, use, and shape, and above all, a sense of delight in the look and feel of very ordinary, humble things. This book is thus . . . a totally unexpected monument to a culture, a way of life, a universal sensibility carried through all objects down to the smallest, most inconsequential, and ephemeral things.

Now, over thirty years later, this revived classic on the art of traditional Japanese packing may leave us with the same response, and the same appreciation for the natural and utile packaging presented in this book.

The Indian subcontinent offers an extraordinary visual feast. Considering Indian art within a chronological framework, Vidya Dehejia analyses the great cities of the Indus civilization, the serene Buddha image, the intriguing art of cave sites, the sophisticated temple-building traditions, the luxurious art of the Mughal court, the palaces and pavilions of Rajasthan, the churches of Portuguese Goa, the various forms of art in the British Raj and the issues related to taking Indian art into the twenty-first century.

Kawaii Food Colouring Book
Cute Food Colouring Book for Adults, Kids and Girls
Is This Book For You?

If you love super cute, happy designs - yes!

These easy colouring pages are great for beginners, as well as kids, tweens, teens, and adults who like to colour drawings that aren't too detailed. If you're an experienced colourist, you can apply your skills and stretch your creativity by using the larger spaces for blending, shading and patterning, to create unique works of art.

In this book you'll find popular kawaii cuties foods.

Find fun ideas to: make a cosy kawaii home; playful, confidence boosting styling and beauty tips; and recipes that will make your smile. This book includes 10 easy how-to projects to bring kawaii into your life.

Are you ready for hours of relaxation and enjoyment as you bring these lovable kawaii food to life? Have fun and happy colouring!

To guide and inspire believers, innumerable symbols and images were made, beginning in India in the 3rd century BC. This phenomenally diverse tradition includes not only frescoes, relief carvings, colossal statues, silk embroideries and bronze ritual objects but also rock-cut shrines with a thousand Buddhas, the glorious stupas of South-East Asia and the pagodas of the Far East, the massive mandala in stone of Borobudur in Java and entire 13th-century temple complexes at Angkor in Cambodia. The author describes all the Buddhist schools and cultures, and explains their imagery, from Tibetan cosmic diagrams and Korean folk art to early Sri Lankan sites and Japanese Zen gardens.

Surrealism through the lens of China.

Surrealism from Paris to Shanghai is the first English language book dedicated to introducing Chinese Surrealism, enlarging the geographical authority of Surrealist studies beyond a Eurocentric prism of analysis. The book reveals the mutual cultural influence between China and the Western avant-garde, moving beyond notions of copying from the West. Utilizing primary source materials, particularly periodicals, Lauren Walden reveals the underexplored dissemination of Surrealism in Shanghai. Highlighting how Surrealism was applied across a broad political spectrum in Shanghai including anti-colonialism, communism, and nationalism, Walden also demonstrates why Shanghai's former French concession became the birthplace of Surrealism in China.

Katsushika Hokusai was a Japanese artist born in 1760 whose legacy remains, some 150 years after his death, as important as ever. His work influenced Impressionism and Art Nouveau, and a range of contemporary artists working today.

Realized in jewel-like colors, Hokusai's simple views of everyday scenes in Japan, his sense of balance and harmony, and his highly stylized but ever-changing techniques seem to capture the spirit and traditions of his homeland. Hokusai Pop-Ups brings this stunning art to life. Noted works such as Ejiri in Suruga Province, Chrysanthemums and Horsefly, Phoenix, Kirifuri Waterfall at Kurokami Mountain in Shimotsuke, The Poem of Ariwara no Narihira, and the iconic, instantly recognizable The Great Wave are accompanied by explanatory text as well as complementary quotes from writers and artists such as Degas and Van Gogh.

This book challenges the conventional ideas of art and beauty. What is the value of things made by an anonymous craftsman working in a set tradition for a lifetime? What is the value of handwork? Why should even the roughly lacquered rice bowl of a Japanese farmer be thought beautiful? The late Soetsu Yanagi was the first to fully explore the traditional Japanese appreciation for objects born, not made.

Mr. Yanagi sees folk art as a manifestation of the essential world from which art, philosophy, and religion arise and in which the barriers between them disappear. The implications of the author's ideas are both far-reaching and practical.

Soetsu Yanagi is often mentioned in books on Japanese art, but this is the first translation in any Western language of a selection of his major writings. The late Bernard Leach, renowned British potter and friend of Mr. Yanagi for fifty years, has clearly transmitted the insights of one of Japan's most important thinkers. The seventy-six plates illustrate objects that underscore the universality of his concepts. The author's profound view of the creative process and his plea for a new artistic freedom within tradition are especially timely now when the importance of craft and the handmade object is being rediscovered.

Introducing Japanese Art and Designs Color by Number Coloring Book for Adults - a harmonious blend of the therapeutic benefits of coloring and the elegant simplicity of a color-by-number format. Immerse yourself in the calming beauty of Japanese culture with this carefully crafted coloring book designed for adults.

Inside, you'll find a collection of enchanting Japanese-inspired illustrations, each assigned a specific number that corresponds to a particular color. This easy-to-follow format allows you to create stunning and intricate artwork without the stress of color choices. From cherry blossoms and traditional motifs to serene landscapes and iconic symbols, each page invites you to embark on a relaxing and creative journey.

Whether you're an experienced colorist or someone new to the world of coloring books, this Color By Number Coloring Book provides a delightful and accessible way to express your creativity. Enjoy the meditative process of coloring as you watch the intricate designs come to life.

Unwind, relax, and let the beauty of Japan unfold before your eyes with this worldly Coloring Book for Adults. Grab your colored pencils or markers, follow the numbers, and experience the joy of creating your own Japanese-inspired masterpieces.

Just sit back, relax, and color!

***This book is also available in a non-numbered edition as well as a non-numbered 5x8 travel size edition!!!
https: //www.amazon.com/dp/153726771X
https: //www.amazon.com/dp/1539444066

• Charming hand-drawn designs inspire coloring fans of all ages and skill levels.
• Promotes relaxation, art therapy, and the scientifically proven therapeutic benefits of meditative mindfulness.
• Makes a perfect gift for adults, teens, seniors, and all of your loved ones.
• 8.5 x 11 single-sided paper means that you can use your favorite art supplies - including pencils, markers, pens, crayons, watercolors and more!
• 2 bonus color test pages allow you to test your coloring mediums and empower you to unleash your creativity and plan your next coloring masterpiece.
• Enjoy FREE BONUS COLORING PAGES to get a taste of other coloring books you may enjoy.

Innovative artists in 1960s Japan who made art in the wilderness--away from Tokyo, outside traditional norms, and with little institutional support--with global resonances.

1960s Japan was one of the world's major frontiers of vanguard art. As Japanese artists developed diverse practices parallel to, and sometimes antecedent to, their Western counterparts, they found themselves in a new reality of international contemporaneity (kokusaiteki dōjisei). In this book Reiko Tomii examines three key figures in Japanese art of the 1960s who made radical and inventive art in the wilderness--away from Tokyo, outside traditional norms, and with little institutional support.

These practitioners are the conceptualist Matsuzawa Yutaka, known for the principle of vanishing of matter and the practice of meditative visualization (kannen); The Play, a collective of Happeners; and the local collective GUN (Group Ultra Niigata). The innovative work of these artists included a visionary exhibition in Central Japan of formless emissions organized by Matsuzwa; the launching of a huge fiberglass egg--an image of liberation--from the southernmost tip of Japan's main island by The Play; and gorgeous color field abstractions painted by GUN on accumulating snow on the riverbeds of the Shinano River. Pioneers in conceptualism, performance art, land art, mail art, and political art, these artists delved into the local and achieved global relevance.

Making connections and finding resonances between these three practitioners and artists elsewhere, Tomii links their local practices to the global narrative and illuminates the fundamentally similar yet dissimilar characteristics of their work. In her reading, Japan becomes a paradigmatic site of world art history, on the periphery but asserting its place through hard-won international contemporaneity.

Faith and Power in Japanese Buddhist Art explores the transformation of Buddhism from the premodern to the contemporary era in Japan and the central role its visual culture has played in this transformation. Although Buddhism is generally regarded as peripheral to modern Japanese society, this book demonstrates otherwise. Its chapters elucidate the thread of change over time in the practice of Buddhism as revealed in temple worship halls and other sites of devotion and in imagery representing the religion's most popular deities and religious practices. It also introduces the work of modern and contemporary artists who are not generally associated with institutional Buddhism and its canonical visual requirements but whose faith inspires their art.

The author makes a persuasive argument that the neglect of these materials by scholars results from erroneous presumptions about the aesthetic superiority of early Japanese Buddhist artifacts and an asserted decline in the institutional power of the religion after the sixteenth century. She demonstrates that recent works constitute a significant contribution to the history of Japanese art and architecture, providing evidence of Buddhism's compelling presence at all levels of Japanese society and its evolution in response to the needs of new generations of supporters.

Find the beauty and meaning of over 850 family crests found in Japanese tradition

Starting in the mid-1960s, a group of Korean artists began to push paint, soak canvas, drag pencils, rip paper, and otherwise manipulate the materials of painting in ways that prompted critics to describe their actions as methods rather than artworks. A crucial artistic movement of twentieth-century Korea, Tansaekhwa (monochromatic painting) also became one of its most famous and successful. Promoted in Seoul, Tokyo, and Paris, Tansaekhwa grew to be the international face of contemporary Korean art and a cornerstone of contemporary Asian art.

In this full-color, richly illustrated account--the first of its kind in English--Joan Kee provides a fresh interpretation of the movement's emergence and meaning that sheds new light on the history of abstraction, twentieth-century Asian art, and contemporary art in general. Combining close readings, archival research, and interviews with leading Tansaekhwa artists, Kee focuses on an essential but often overlooked dimension of the movement: how artists made a case for abstraction as a way for viewers to engage productively with the world and its systems. As Kee shows, artists such as Lee Ufan, Park Seobo, Kwon Young-woo, Yun Hyongkeun, and Ha Chonghyun urgently stressed certain fundamentals, recognizing that overwhelming forces such as decolonization, authoritarianism, and the rise of a new postwar internationalism could be approached through highly individual experiences that challenged viewers to consider how they understood their world rather than why.

Against the backdrop of the Cold War, decolonization, and the declaration of martial law in South Korea, these artists asked questions that continue to resonate today: In what ways can art matter to the world? How does art exert agency when its viewers live in times of explicit or implicit duress? How can specific social and political conditions inspire or influence methods and styles?

Throughout the East, writing is held to be a gift from the gods, and the divinely inspired letters and characters are objects of the highest veneration. The religious significance of calligraphy has thus led to a unique development of the art of brush and ink in Japan, China, India, and Tibet. This beautifully illustrated book covers such topics as the history and spirit of Eastern calligraphy, the art of copying religious texts, the biographies of important Zen calligraphers, and practical instructions on materials and techniques for the contemporary student. No knowledge of the languages discussed is required for the reader to appreciate the study of this ancient practice.

John Stevens lived in Japan for thirty-five years, where he was a professor of Buddhist studies at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai. Stevens is a widely respected translator, an ordained Buddhist priest, a curator of several major exhibitions of Zen art, and an aikido instructor. He has authored over thirty books and is one of the foremost Western experts on Aikido, holding a ranking of 7th dan Aikikai. Stevens has also studied calligraphy for decades, authoring this classic Sacred Calligraphy of the East. Other John Stevens titles that are likely to be of interest include The Philosophy of Aikido, Extraordinary Zen Masters, and The Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei.

Readers interested in related titles from John Stevens will also want to see: Abundant Peace (ISBN: 1626543232), Aikido: The Way of Harmony (ISBN: 1626543275), Secrets of Aikido (ISBN: 1626543259), The Marathon Monks of Mount Hiei (ISBN: 1626549958), The Philosophy of Aikido (ISBN: 1626549931), Extraordinary Zen Masters (ISBN: 1626549923).

Haku Maki (1924-2000) was a highly innovative Japanese printmaker of the second half of the 20th century. His prints often had a three-dimensional quality, derived from the embossing which Maki used in much of his work. His best prints 1/2and his core theme from 1965 to 1979 1/2were kanji (Chinese characters that were adopted many centuries ago by the Japanese), They were often enhanced by Maki to make them look better. After kanji, he concentrated for a decade creating prints with ceramics used in drinking tea and wine. Like kanji, these objects, deeply rooted in centuries of Japanese culture, were rendered in a clear, crisp manner.
To obtain the embossed effect, Maki used wet cement into which he carved the basic design for a print. After the design settled and was carved, Maki used double-layered paper, raising the subject from the surface of the paper.
Maki's oeuvre is characterized by clean, sharp images, whether done in black kanji on a white background or in a bright color against a dark background. His prints usually contain one outstanding object, whether kanji or a ceramic vessel or a persimmon. The viewer 1/2s gaze is directed strictly to the subject 1/2the background is not allowed to distract.
Maki's prints invariably have a modern look and feel to them 1/2they fit in the early 21st century just as well as they did when they were first produced 20-30 years ago. Yet Maki's primary subjects are very traditional. His achievement was to rework and update the traditional, producing an image that delights and sometimes surprises the viewer as the old emerges, recognizable but new. With little fuss and few frills, Maki allows the viewer to concentrate on the core subject and nothing else. Very Zen.