Living for the Moment: Japanese Prints from The Barbara S. Bowman Collection

Spanning the late 18th and early 19th centuries, the exquisite examples of Japanese prints included in this book offer insights into the history of an art form and vision that is distinctively Japanese and was highly inspirational to later European painters. Polychrome prints, or ukiyo-e, first appeared in Japan in thelate 18th century. Delicately hued and intricate, they depictedlandscapes, scenes, and figures that epitomized the country’sidea of “the floating world”: a place whose denizens lived forthe moment and appreciated the pleasures of the naturalworld. This volume surveys the prominent Barbara S. Bowmancollection of prints notable for a number of reasons: anexcellently preserved print of Lucky Dream for the New Year:Mount Fuji, Falcon, and Eggplants by Suzuki Harunobu; anumber of surimono, or privately published prints that werecreated with unusually luxurious materials; and numerous worksby Hiroshige and Hokusai, who are considered the masters ofthe art form. Each of the over one hundred prints in this bookis reproduced in large color plates that highlight their subtlebeauty and charm and are accompanied by extensive analysis ofthe pieces’ remarkable qualities. This comprehensive overviewof the collection by LACMA curator Hollis Goodall addressesthe significance and history of the Bowman collection and themany ways it enhances the museum’s extensive holdings ofJapanese art.

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