Kamisaka Sekka: Rinpa Traditionalist, Modern Designer by Andreas Marks

This wonderful hardbound book focuses on Japan's Meiji era being a time of dramatic cultural change. Industry, the military, transportation, fashion, architecture, and the arts—all aspects of Meiji society embraced modernization. Kamisaka Sekka (1866–1942) flourished during this vibrant period. Deeply rooted in tradition—he led the revival of Rinpa, a style created in the seventeenth century—Sekka was a progenitor of modern design in Japan, creating imaginative, innovative imagery. He cooperated with other artisans to apply his designs to ceramics, lacquerware, and textiles, and in doing so, he became an influential transitional figure. In addition to his work as a designer, Sekka produced several suites of prints, published as multivolume books. In transforming his paintings into woodcuts for reproduction, he revised his style to suit the medium. The resultant dramatic, powerful graphics are imbued with his signature elegant and delicate touch and reflect the artist's melding of West