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December 22, 2024
 

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Marius Gombrich
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / ART BRIEF
Jun 11, 2010
'Alessandro Papetti: Dynamic Space'
Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Tokyo
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 21, 2010
Enjoy the company of Ryoichi Yamazaki's reluctant 'hoodies'
The typical white cube gallery is not unlike a sumo ring. Both are bare, sanctified spaces, where we can stare intently at the participants' strenous efforts to impress. While the dohyo is purified by salt, the antiseptic agents in the case of the white cube gallery are white paint, light and an attitude...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / ART BRIEF
May 14, 2010
'Maurice Utrillo: Un peintre solitaire qui aimait Paris'
Sompo Japan Museum of Art
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
May 7, 2010
Crime scene investigation: Edo
The original U.S. TV series "CSI (Crime Scene Investigation)," set in Las Vegas, has been so successful that it has almost grown into a franchise, with "CSI: Miami," "CSI: NY," and "CSI: Triology." After visiting the "Ryoma Den" exhibition at the Edo-Tokyo Museum, which looks at the life of the 19th-century...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 30, 2010
Rising from the ashes of Pompeii
In the Christian era that succeeded the pagan one, the destruction of the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD was always thought of in apocalyptic terms, much like the Biblical destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah by "fire and brimstone." It was felt that the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 9, 2010
The blond ambition of Tamara de Lempicka
I'm not sure what Lady Gaga — who arrives in Japan shortly — has in her art collection, but given time (and the millions produced by her phenomenal success) I think it is highly likely that a lady of her strong aesthetic drives will get round to emulating her model Madonna by acquiring paintings...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Apr 2, 2010
Getting round the censors can make art even more creative
There are two main arguments to support censorship. One is that it protects the tender sensibilities of a weak-minded public prone to be led astray into immorality and depravity. The other is that it actually stirs the creative powers of artists to new heights by placing obstacles in their way. While...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 12, 2010
Painting the spirit that built great empires
As I write, the British pound is in sharp decline against a wide range of currencies, including even the Zimbabwean dollar! No, there hasn't been an editorial mishap and this is not the financial section of The Japan Times. I just mention these facts of economic decline to add some perspective to the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Mar 5, 2010
Rebel artist restored to glory
The Tokyo National Museum in Ueno isn't merely a convenient place for old folks to while away an afternoon, or a safe venue to take parties of schoolchildren to on excursions. It's also a very symbolic and ritualistic space, where the final seal is set on the nation's cultural and historical image of...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / ART BRIEF
Feb 26, 2010
Yumeji Takahisa and Taisho Era Romance
Yumeji Takehisa Museum Closes on March 28
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / ART BRIEF
Feb 26, 2010
Hirazaki Eiho 130th Anniversary Exhibition
Yayoi Museum Closes on March 28
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Feb 12, 2010
Impressionist originality challenged by Italian 'patch' painters
Artistic reputations are very important to some countries. In the case of France and Italy, a large proportion of their GNP is dependent on their perceived image as centers of aesthetic excellence — something that pays dividends in terms of income from tourism and demand for designer goods. This is...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 15, 2010
East, West split by the lens
When the Leica was introduced in 1925, a new era in photography began. The compact camera, by being much lighter and more versatile than previous models, gave photographers unprecedented freedom in choosing the subject, angle and moment for their snaps.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jan 8, 2010
Aesthetics of paring down to the outline
In the distant past, the ratio of manufactured goods to people was extremely low, so the tendency was for such products to be highly decorated and embellished. Since then the ratio has altered considerably in favor of the material objects. Now, most of us are inundated with a multitude of gadgets, gizmos,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 18, 2009
Looking for personal definition
Art is always a collaboration between the artist and the viewer. Whatever the artist paints, sculpts or photographs is just so much dead matter until it comes alive in the mind of the viewer.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art / ART BRIEF
Dec 11, 2009
'Bless You'
SCAI Bathhouse
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Dec 4, 2009
Beyond the cliches you will find Lautrec
The most noticeable thing about the paintings of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is not their often lurid colors or the ukiyo-e-influenced compositions. Nor is it their renowned subject matter: the lively, sordid, effervescent world of fin-de-siecle Paris.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 13, 2009
"A Visit to Luis Barraga'n's House"
The Watari Museum of Contemporary ArtCloses Jan. 14
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Nov 6, 2009
Cultivating a way for egoless art
Perhaps the strangest experience I've had at an exhibition this year was being led into a small room by a polite museum attendant, shown to a desk with a sheet of paper and some colored pencils, and being asked to draw — just as soon as the lights were switched off!
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Oct 30, 2009
Beneath a city of chaos lies a dark psychological realm
At times, Tokyoites appear to be some of the most poker-faced people on the planet. But what exactly is going on behind those apparently emotionless expressions? The art of Mikiko Kumazawa suggests maybe quite a lot.
Freed anti-whaling campaigner Paul Watson arrives in France
U.S.-Canadian anti-whaling environmental activist Paul Watson, who was released from prison in Greenland's capital Nuuk after five months in detention, arrives with Lamya Essemlali, president of Sea Shepherd France, at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Roissy-en-France, near Paris, on Friday.
Nippon Steel alleges undue White House influence on doomed deal review
U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the economy at the Brookings Institution in Washington on Dec. 10.
Record 78% of people in Japan feel anxious, government survey finds
The public opinion survey on people's lives, conducted by the Cabinet Office, found that 28.1% of respondents think that their standard of living is at a lower-middle level among the general public — the highest percentage to give that response in 35 years.
Police raided suspect's home to arrest him after fatal Kitakyushu stabbing
Broken window glass is seen at Masanori Hirabaru's house in Kitakyushu's Kokuraminami Ward.
Taiwan lawmakers brawl over bills that would 'damage democracy'
Lawmakers from the Democratic Progressive Party and opposition party Kuomintang brawl in parliament in Taipei on Friday.
Casual workouts, cool living, ‘complete’ food: Japan’s health trends of 2024
In 2024, efficiency trumped effort among Japan's fitness-focused aspirants.
The mighty Mekong River's growing plastic problem
A group of elephant keepers in Chiang Saen, Thailand, remove plastic waste from the Ruak River, a tributary of the Mekong River, as a pair of Asian elephants bathe behind them.
Japanese officials inspect Yokota Air Base over PFAS concerns
The Yokota Air Base in western Tokyo in September 2019. An inspection of the base by Japanese government officials on Friday came amid public pressure to investigate suspected links between the use of PFAS-containing firefighting foam by the U.S. base and contamination of soil and groundwater in western Tokyo.
Crime numbers rise in Japan for second straight year
A police officer stands in front of the residence of a man alleged to have stabbed two junior high school students in Kitakyushu.
A year of Oscar wins and a quiet push for diversity
Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “Evil Does Not Exist,” released in Japanese theaters in April, sharply dramatizes the clash between rural and urban values. The film won five awards at the 2023 Venice Film Festival, including the second-place Silver Lion prize.

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One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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