Love, Fight, Feast: The Art of Storytelling in Japan

Japanese culture has a long tradition of using pictures to communicate stories, dating back over a thousand years. This narrative art is created from Buddhist texts, classic literature, poetry, and theatrical scenes and is disseminated through paintings, woodblock prints, and applied arts. "Love, Fight, Feast" is a book that features one hundred paintings, woodblock prints, illustrated woodblock-printed books, lacquer and metal objects, porcelain, and textiles from the 13th to the 20th century, along with scholarly essays on various aspects of Japanese narrative art. It offers a unique survey of the multifaceted, colorful, and imaginative world of Japanese narrative art across eight centuries.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 328 pages
Publication date: 14 October 2021
Publisher: Scheidegger und Spiess AG, Verlag

Japanese culture has a rich tradition of using pictures to tell stories, dating back over a thousand years. These narrative illustrations draw inspiration from various sources such as Buddhist texts, classic literature, poetry, and theatrical scenes, creating vivid visual imagery across various media and formats. Quotations from and allusions to heroic epics and romances were disseminated through exquisite paintings, woodblock prints, and applied arts like lacquerware or ceramics, becoming deeply ingrained in the collective consciousness. As storytelling art evolved, it became an integral part of daily life, creating a fascinating narrative space that merged artistic excellence with aesthetic pleasure.

Love, Fight, Feast: A Century of Japanese Narrative Art is a comprehensive exhibition catalog published in conjunction with an exhibition at the renowned Museum Rietberg in Zurich. The book showcases a remarkable collection of one hundred paintings, woodblock prints, illustrated woodblock-printed books, lacquer and metal objects, porcelain, and textiles from the 13th to the 20th century. Accompanied by scholarly essays on various aspects of Japanese narrative art, the book offers a unique survey of the multifaceted, vibrant, and imaginative world of Japanese narrative art across eight centuries.

The use of pictures to communicate stories in Japanese culture dates back to ancient times, with Buddhist texts, classic literature, poetry, and theatrical scenes serving as sources of inspiration. These illustrations have been realized in a wide range of media and formats, including paintings, woodblock prints, and applied arts like lacquerware or ceramics. Quotations from and allusions to heroic epics and romances were disseminated through these exquisite works, becoming deeply embedded in the collective consciousness of the Japanese people. As storytelling art evolved, it became an integral part of daily life, creating a fascinating narrative space that merged artistic excellence with aesthetic pleasure.

Love, Fight, Feast: A Century of Japanese Narrative Art is a comprehensive exhibition catalog published in conjunction with an exhibition at the renowned Museum Rietberg in Zurich. The book showcases a remarkable collection of one hundred paintings, woodblock prints, illustrated woodblock-printed books, lacquer and metal objects, porcelain, and textiles from the 13th to the 20th century. Accompanied by scholarly essays on various aspects of Japanese narrative art, the book offers a unique survey of the multifaceted, vibrant, and imaginative world of Japanese narrative art across eight centuries.

In conclusion, the use of pictures to communicate stories in Japanese culture has a long and rich tradition that dates back over a thousand years. These narrative illustrations draw inspiration from various sources and have been realized in a wide range of media and formats, becoming deeply ingrained in the collective consciousness of the Japanese people. Love, Fight, Feast: A Century of Japanese Narrative Art is a comprehensive exhibition catalog that showcases a remarkable collection of paintings, woodblock prints, illustrated woodblock-printed books, lacquer and metal objects, porcelain, and textiles from the 13th to the 20th century. Accompanied by scholarly essays on various aspects of Japanese narrative art, the book offers a unique survey of the multifaceted, vibrant, and imaginative world of Japanese narrative art across eight centuries.

Weight: 1942g
Dimension: 292 x 241 x 37 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783039420247