The Ideals of the East: With Special Reference to the Art of Japan - Softcover

Okakura, Kakuzo

Softcover

ISBN 10: 080481452X ISBN 13: 9780804814522

Publisher: Tuttle Publishing, 2001

Synopsis

Written by the foremost authority of the era on Oriental archeology and art, this extremely influential book offers a brief but concise introduction to Asian art. First published in 1883, it responded to a vogue in Western culture for a growing awareness and appreciation of Japanese artistic expressions of beauty and philosophy-a perspective that remains fresh and valid. Author Kakuzo Okakura (1862-1913) was a co-founder of the Tokyo Fine Art School (now known as Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music) and a curator of Oriental art at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. He also wrote The Book of Tea, and together with this volume, his writings rank among the most widely read English-language works about Japan. Ideals of the East wrought profound effects on the Western understanding of the internal consistencies and strengths of East Asian aesthetic traditions. One of its major themes, the connections between spirituality and the evolution of Asian art, provided English-speaking people with the earliest lucid account of Zen Buddhism and its relation to the arts.

About this title

About the Author

Okakura (1863-1913) was an administrator and scholar who had a profound effect on art and aesthetics both in Japan and the West. He helped found an arts college and in 1904 became an assistant curator at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts. Through his writings, Okakura was able to permanently affect the way the West viewed Japan and Asia.

Edition details

• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
• Publication date: 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 080481452X
• ISBN 13: 9780804814522
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272