Timely Images: Chinese Art Related to Seasonal Festivals
Seasonal festivals in China were important occasions for the creation, display, and presentation of gifts of art featuring specific, timely images. For example, paintings depicting a bouquet of pomegranate flowers, calamus leaves, and a branch of moxa were appropriate only for the fifth day of the fifth lunar month, also known as the Dragon Boat Festival. Representations of roosters, considered lucky, were associated with the Chinese New Year, while images of a peony and butterfly signaled the Birthday of the Flowers. This lecture by Jan Stuart, keeper of Asia at the British Museum, examines the close bond between a wide range of pictorial arts and their temporal conventions. She explores the role of art in marking the passage of the yearly cycle and how it was folded into China’s abiding rhythms of nature and human culture.
Categories: Lectures & Discussions. Venue: Freer Gallery. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium. Cost: Free; walk-in.
Saturday, February 11, 2012, 2:00 PM.
The Art of Kabuki: Bando Kotoji
Traditional dance master Bando Kotoji demonstrates and discusses scenes from famous kabuki plays in the style developed by Bando Mitsugoro III (1775–1832). He elucidates the intricacies of kabuki costumes, makeup, postures, and movement, which are supported by exquisite live music for shamisen, chanter, and percussion. The scenes include “Yoshino-yama,” set on a famous Japanese mountain known for its cherry blossoms. As part of the program, select members of the audience receive onstage instruction for basic kabuki dance footwork and fan gestures, typical male and female gestures, and a simple dance piece from the traditional repertory.
The US tour of Bando Kotoji and the kabuki musicians is organized by the Japan Society, with funding from the Japan Foundation.
Categories: Demonstrations. Lectures & Discussions. Performances. Venue: Freer Gallery. Event Location: Meyer Auditorium.
Saturday, March 24, 2012, 2:00 PM.