Sotatsu

"Published by the Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery on the occasion of the exhibition Saotatsu: Making Waves, October 24, 2015-January 31, 2016."

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Tawaraya Sotatsu was a commoner who introduced traditional Japanese themes and subjects, formerly the sole purview of the aristocracy, to broader audiences. He painted these nationalistic images using a bold, expressive new design style. This characteristic style was further developed and enhanced when he founded the historic Rinpa school with calligrapher Hon'ami Koetsu; Rinpa works are marked by dramatic, stylized renderings of traditional Japanese themes. Essays by leading scholars from the United States and Japan focus on Sotatsu's well-known works; his collaboration with Koetsu; his varied roles as shopkeeper, compiler and court painter; and his influence over other artists, including Ogata Korin, Ogata Kenzan, Sakai Hoitsu and Suzuki Kiitsu. The book also examines Freer Gallery of Art founder Charles Lang Freer's role in introducing Sotatsu and Koetsu to the Western world. Sotatsu is a must-have book for museumgoers, Japanophiles, art lovers and scholars.