"An Old Man's Mischief: Playful Works by the Buddhist Sculptor Ryukei Shimizu" Exhibition
Kyoto National Museum
This event has ended.
This exhibition focuses on the Edo-period Buddhist sculptor Shimizu Ryukei, who was active in Kyoto and whose name was used for four generations. On exhibit will be works by Ryukei I (1659-1732), who assumed the pseudonym Rinko and Ryukei II (1729-1795), who also went by the name Bishumontei. Rather than Buddhist statues, this exhibition highlights genre dolls, which might be called a carver's hobby. Ryukei I himself referred to this avocation as "an old man's mischief." Perhaps he felt self-conscious that he created worldly objects using the same skills that he used to carve sacred images. However, compared to Buddhist statues that must be sculpted according to strict iconographies and technical rules and standards, Ryukei playfully and expressively created these figurines and demonstrated his abilities to the utmost.
*Exhibiting at The Collections Hall, Galleries 5-6
[Image: Ryukei Shimizu "One Hundred Figures" (Edo Period)]
Media
Schedule
from January 02, 2008 to March 30, 2008
Artist(s)
Reviews
Sculpting the sacred and the profane
By Matthew Larking
Special to The Japan Times
Given the boom in all things Edo in recent years — perhaps best exemplified by the explosion of interest in last year's The Price Collection's tour of Japan, featuring the artists Ito Jakuchu, Maruyama Okyo and Nagasawa Rosetsu — it is surprising that there hasn't been equal attention paid to the sculpture of the period ...