ALEXCIOUS

An evocative collection by a Nihonga* "living legend" + DVD

Recipient of the 'Kyoto Prefecture Award for Cultural Merit' (2011)

Rieko Morita is one of the most prominent female Nihonga painters in the Kyoto art world. Her exquisite skills of observation and gift for color are presented here in her flower and bird paintings, as well as modern portraits of female figures. Hugely respected for her works on the cedar doors of Kyoto’s Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion) among many others, this compilation features select examples from Morita’s extensive body of work from 1979~2011. (Please see SPEC for more details.)

*Soon after Japan opened its doors to the West in 1868, a new world opened up to Japanese painters. In the midst of an atmosphere of rapid change and many new influences, some painters chose to immerse themselves in tradition; some looked almost entirely to the West for inspiration; and still others chose to transcend the past by merging Japanese tradition and Western influences. This last group of artists devoted themselves to the art that became known as ‘Nihonga’. The style selects and incorporates many trends and traditions, from Chinese literati painting to abstract expressionism.