Staging the Supernatural - Ghosts and the Theater in …, North-Eastern Islands

Ships from and sold by Pick A Book Asia Singapore
Publisher: Smithsonian Books
ISBN 13: 9781588347206
Condition: Brandnew
Binding: paperback
Pages: 128
Dimensons: 178 x 178 x 30 | 400 (gram)

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STAGING THE SUPERNATURAL presents striking, eerie nineteenth-century woodblock prints from Japan that feature ghosts, demons, and other supernatural entities. The book digs into the country''s rich folkloric traditions and how they were brought to life on stage, with insightful essays that explore the depiction of spirits through the centuries, the relationship between printed images and cultural imagination, and how kabuki and Noh theatre performances reflect Japan''s deep connection to and shifting notions of the supernatural.The detailed art invites readers to admire the artistic quality and techniques employed to accentuate supernaturalism, including embossing, mica application, and metallic pigments. The prints offer a window into Japan''s 19th-century pop culture and will appeal to fans of contemporary anime and manga, which is often influenced by these images. Equal part art and commentary, the book includes:·40 gorgeous woodblock prints with extended text entries ·Introduction from Pearl Moskowitz, who gifted many of the featured prints to the museum in 2021·Essay from museum curator Kit Brooks that explores special effects in kabuki theatre ghost plays and their representation in souvenir woodblocks·Essay from museum curator Frank Feltens on Tsukioka Kôgyo, the first artist to render the eerie atmosphere of Noh plays in printsSpooky, fascinating, and fun, this is an ideal book for lovers of Japanese art, folklore, horror, and history.