Proust and Chinese Art
In a previous blog post I discussed the influence of Japanese prints on Proust. As a specialist of Chinese art at an auction house...
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- Jul 8
- 5 min
Proust and Japanese Prints
The French writer Marcel Proust (1871-1922), author of In Search of Lost Time (A la recherché du temps perdu) was an intensely visual...
- Jan 14
- 1 min
36 Views of the BT Tower: A Sudden Gust of Wind
Though not as popular as 'The Great Wave' or 'Red Fuji', 'A Sudden Gust of Wind' usually comes third in popularity in the series 36 Views...
- Jan 12
- 5 min
Hokusai's Commission from the Dutch East India Company
The National Museum of Ethnology, Leiden has a fascinating group of European-influenced paintings by Hokusai on Dutch paper, which I was...
- Jan 11
- 2 min
Face to Face with Hokusai's Self Portrait
I was fortunate enough while passing through Leiden, Holland, to be given special access to the Volkekunde Museum (the National Museum of...
- Jan 6
- 2 min
36 Views of the BT Tower: Kites of Primrose Hill and Fukuroi
As manager of my own website, I can tell from online traffic which designs are more popular than others. Sometimes I understand why a...
- Dec 31, 2022
- 3 min
36 Views of the BT Tower: Fireworks on the Thames and Sumida Rivers
As we approach the New Year, I felt it was appropriate to discuss my design of new year fireworks on the Thames and Hiroshige's...
- Nov 17, 2022
- 4 min
The Foreigners Making 'Japanese' Art
As an artist working with strong Japanese influences, I sometimes get asked about my justification for this cultural 'appropriation'....
- Oct 2, 2022
- 3 min
Foujita's Feline Friends
Foujita is most famous for his paintings of nudes and cats. Indeed, it's his paintings of cats that drew me to him the most. My other...
- Aug 24, 2022
- 4 min
In Search of Foujita: An Artist's Pilgrimage (Part 4)
On a sunny Saturday, Vicky (my fellow pilgrim) and I made the journey to the Holy Grail of the Foujita trail: Foujita's house and studio...
- Aug 24, 2022
- 4 min
In Search of Foujita: An Artist's Pilgrimage (Part 2)
On Thursday 18th August, I arrived at my second stop of the Foujita trail: the Musee D'Art Moderne De Paris, which is interestingly...
- Aug 24, 2022
- 5 min
In Search of Foujita: An Artist's Pilgrimage (Part 1)
People go to Paris to see the Eiffel tower, the Louvre, Notre Dame cathedral etc...but I went this time with a very different purpose in...
- Jul 1, 2022
- 3 min
The Lego 'Nanban' Ship of Fools
All art is a self-portrait, and this painting of a ship on gold leaf in mineral pigments is no different. It has a lot within to unpack...
- Apr 25, 2022
- 3 min
The Mystery of Foujita's White
Foujita (1886-1968) is an artist I have come to appreciate more and more over time; not just his depiction of cats and nudes, but also...
- Mar 8, 2022
- 2 min
Of Gods and Cats
I recently painted two cats on gold leaf with mineral pigment. In composition I wanted them to mirror each other like the Gods of Wind...
- Feb 18, 2022
- 4 min
'Nanban' Screens: Trade and Art in Japan
Southern Barbarians Come to Trade Foreign traders and Japanese merchants interact with one another. Goods are inspected and money changes...
- Jan 31, 2022
- 6 min
A Selection of Elephants in Edo Period Art
For me, elephants are an obsession. I have always loved them from my earliest memory. So what better way to discuss elephants than in the...
- Jan 27, 2022
- 9 min
Hokusai's People: The Life of a Labourer in Edo
Hokusai is well known for depicting the lives of ordinary people in his drawings and prints, but what do his artworks tell us about those...
- Jan 19, 2022
- 8 min
Learning from Hokusai
The influence of Hokusai on subsequent artists is truly huge; ranging from Degas, Van Gogh, Klimt, Picasso (he loved the octopus and...
- Jan 17, 2022
- 4 min
Dragon’s Blood Powder and Lapis Lazuli: How to Use Pigments
A major part of traditional Japanese and Chinese painting is the use of mineral pigments. Nowadays, colours and paint can be made...
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