Lacquer is a uniquely East Asian product and material, as it is derived from the sap of the tree, rhus verniciflua, which is native to China and Japan.
Category: Asian Art Collection
Say What? Art Terms For Beginners, Part 10
Art conservation and restoration terms are revealed in this installment of Art Terms. But first, you may question what the difference is between conservation and restoration.
Birdwatching in the AGGV Collection
Calling all you birders! Not only can birdwatching be done through binoculars or telescopes, by listening for bird sounds or watching public webcams, but it can also be done through browsing the AGGV collection with a naked eye. Can you guess what kind of birds are depicted below?
10 Things To Know About Samurai Swords
Considered “the soul of the samurai”, the Samurai sword was the embodiment of the code of bushido (“the way of the warrior”) with its self-discipline, unquestioning devotion and ultimate skill.
A Glimpse into the Life and Work of Paul Horiuchi
By Marina DiMaio, AGGV Curatorial Assistant
Horiuchi was a painter and collagist whose work has become an important hybrid of Western-style abstraction, Asian calligraphy, and eastern philosophies. His body of work has helped situate an alternative narrative to the development of modern art in the Pacific Northwest, one that fully considers Japanese and North American relations.
Japonism: From the Impressionists to Walter J. Phillips
By Audrey Wang, Marketing Volunteer
In art, the term “Japonisme” (from the French) was coined by the French art critic Philippe Burty in 1872, to describe the influence of Japanese art on the fine and decorative arts, sculpture, architecture and the performing arts of Western culture.
Views of Mount Fuji
On March 9, the AGGV celebrates two separate, but related, exhibitions that memorialize Mount Fuji and its manifestations in the Japanese and non-Japanese aesthetic.
10 Things to Know About Japanese Woodblock Prints
The art of woodblock printing became widespread in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868) and is best known in the genre of ukiyo-e prints of the period. Prior to this, woodblock printing in Japan was used almost exclusively for reproducing Buddhist texts.
Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them in the AGGV
The realm of mythical beasts spans every culture and exists in all our folklore. We not only find them in our intangible heritage, but also in contemporary literature, art, film, science and culture. In the AGGV’s extensive collection of European, North American, First Nations and Asian art, a menagerie of fantastic beasts reveal countless stories.
Granting Buddhist Research: Q&A with AGGV Curator Haema Sivanesan
AGGV Curator Haema Sivanesan is a recent recipient of a Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation research grant in the amount of $150,000. She was also awarded a $50,000 curatorial research fellowship from the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. What is Sivanesan working on and why? Hint: it’s infinitely vast with neither a beginning nor an end. Therefore, let’s start with the present moment…
Packing Up The Collection
In anticipation of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria’s building renewal project, our Collections team are faced with the mammoth task of preparing over 20,000 art pieces to be packed up. Allowing our visitors a peek behind the scenes, the LAB Gallery has been transformed into a staging area for the packing up…
Say What? Art Terms For Beginners, Part 7
In preparation of a future exhibition on Buddhism and contemporary art practices at the AGGV, this issue’s Art Terms post will focus on terms and names associated with this ancient system of beliefs.
The Yin of Art Collecting
by Audrey Wang, AGGV Marketing Volunteer
Perhaps it comes as no surprise that women are now, more than ever, breaking into the traditionally male-dominated role as art collector and patron.