Water and Shadow: Kawase Hasui and Japanese Landscape Prints

Known as Japan’s premier ＂poet of place,＂ Kawase Hasui is one of the most popular landscape artists of the twentieth century. This richly illustrated catalogue spans Kawase Hasui’s most imaginative period--the years from 1918 to the Great Earthquake of 1923. An important contributor to the early shin-hanga (new print) movement, Hasui crafted distinctive landscapes that also recall artistic traditions ranging from ukiyo-e and French Japonisme to Post-Impressionist painting.

Water and Shadow is based on the unparalleled collection donated to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts by René and Carolyn Balcer. These selections exemplify the creativity of Hasui’s early work and reveal the dynamic interplay between his prints, graphic design, and rare but spectacular paintings. Five essays by leading scholars in North America and Japan explore Hasui’s methods, art historical relationships, and themes as well as some socioeconomic aspects of the print business.

Dr. Kendall Brown is professor of Asian art history at California State University, Long Beach, and former curator of exhibitions, programs, and collections at the Pacific Asia Museum in Los Angeles. He has published books and exhibition catalogues, including Quiet Beauty: Japanese Gardens of North America (2013), Japan Deco: Shaping Art and Culture 1920-1945 (2012), Kawase Hasui: The Complete Woodblock Prints (2003), Japanese Style Gardens of the Pacific West Coast (1999), and The Politics of Reclusion: Painting & Power in Momoyama Japan (1997).