In the Edo period Japanese culture achieved a rare refinement. Beauty infused nearly every aspect of life: Zen gardens, tea ceremony, flower arrangement, poetry, calligraphy, woodblock prints, and dress (kimonos and netsuke). Transience and mortality were seen as an integral part of beauty. When Japanese culture made it to Europe, it had a profound influence on artists such as Van Gogh, Degas, and Whistler. The arts of Japan resonated deeply for them as they still do for us today. Together we will explore Zen and Japanese gardens; haiku poetry and calligraphy; tea ceremony* and flower arrangement; painting, woodblock prints, and netsuke; and Western art influenced by Japanese art.
* We are fortunate to have Yumiko Katsuya, a Japanese Canadian master potter, offer us a tea ceremony.
