Wednesday, September 23 10AM to 6PM
\nThe Nippon Club
\n145 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019
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The Nippon Gallery at The Nippon Club is pleased to host the exhibition of Microcosm paintings on clamshells by Yoshitada Tanaka.<\/p>\n
Yoshitada Tanaka, a rare handicraft artist of shell painting, will present an exhibition of beautifully painted shells. Mr. Tanaka\u2019s shell painting is closely related to the \u201cshell matching\u201d game played during the Heian period (794-1185) and also in later periods as part of the tea ceremony. Mr. Tanaka\u2019s work combines styles of both old and modern Japan. Unlike traditional shell paintings, Mr. Tanaka\u2019s half shells do not mirror each other with the same scene. Instead, each half shell has a different scene and when complete, the two scenes tell a story. Pictures are usually drawn inside the shell with lacquer paint and the outsides are plated with gold. The elaborately painted shells are items of treasure and highly valued. Without a magnifying glass, we could not see the pictures painted in microscopic detail.<\/p>\n
At this exhibition, 80 microcosm paintings depicting natural beauties of four seasons, Buddhist paintings, famous scenes from \u201cthe Tale of Genji\u201d and \u201cthe Tale of the Heike\u201d, popular buildings in New York, Venice and Switzerland and fantastic scenes of Christmas will be exhibited.<\/p>\n
Please enjoy the world of microcosm in the clamshells by Yoshitada Tanaka.<\/p>\n