Love, Fight, Feast

- Blurb -

A uniquely comprehensive survey of Japanese narrative art across eight centuries. Monogatari-e, or story picture in English, is a unique form of Japanese narrative art. It takes its inspiration from Buddhism, classic literature, poetry, and theatrical scenes to create rich visual imagery realised in a wide range of media and format. Quotations from and allusions to heroic epics and romances were disseminated through exquisite paintings, woodblock prints, as well as in pieces of applied arts such as lacquer ware or ceramics, thus becoming anchored in the collective consciousness. As story-telling art found expression in a variety of materialisations, it became an integral part of daily life. A fascinating narrative space evolved which combined artistic excellence and aesthetic pleasure. Love, Fight, Feast: The Art of Storytelling in Japan features some 100 paintings, woodblock prints, illustrated woodblock-printed books, as well as lacquer and metal objects, porcelain and textiles from the 13th to the 20th century, alongside scholarly essays on a range of aspects of Monogatari-e. Published in conjunction with an exhibition at the renowned Museum Rietberg in Zurich, the book offers a unique survey of the multifaceted, colourful and imaginative world of Japanese narrative art across eight centuries. AUTHOR: Khanh Trinh is a scholar of East Asian Art history and curator of Japanese art at Zurich' s Museum Rietberg. SELLING POINTS: A uniquely comprehensive survey of Japanese narrative art (Monogatari-e, or story pictures) across eight centuries Demonstrates the entire range of artistic media and techniques used for this type of Japanese art Features some 100 rarely or never before published art works, including paintings, woodblock prints, illustrated woodblock-printed books, lacquer and metal objects, porcelain, and textiles 170 colour illustrations