As any regular viewer of the ALEXCIOUS website will be
aware, the items we showcase are many and varied. The latest twist was the arrival
of works by ‘Nihonga’ artist, Rieko Morita. The voyage of discovery began.
<A 'Kyoto Prefecture Award for Cultural Merit' recipient>
One of the most prominent female Nihonga painters in the
Kyoto art world, Morita is renowned for her remarkably accurate depictions of
Maiko as well as other themes such as seasonal flowers and exotic women. Morita is the
master to whom the painting of Kinkakuji’s cedar doors was entrusted.
Soon after Japan opened up to the West in 1868, a new world
opened up to Japanese painters. In the midst of an atmosphere of rapid change
and many new influences, some painters chose to immerse themselves in
tradition; some looked almost entirely to the West for inspiration; and still
others chose to transcend the past by merging Japanese tradition and Western
influences. This last group of artists devoted themselves to the art that
became known as ‘Nihonga’. The style selects and incorporates many trends and
traditions, from Chinese literati painting to abstract expressionism.
