James Novonty
Staff Writer
If history and art are your idea of a good weekend adventure, take a step back in time to the history of the far east with the Dayton Art Institute (DAI) this summer.
DAI will be featuring two historical exhibits over the summer and fall focusing on Japanese printmaking and the effects of Buddhism on Asian art.
Impressive: 100 Years of Japanese Prints at the DAI
As early as 1919, Japanese woodblock printing has been collected by the DAI. The current number of pieces surpass 350. Their collection comprises of prints from some of the most well-known artists of the time with works of famous landscapes and women, two popular subjects for printmaking at the time.
This exhibit will be ever-changing with a rotation every four months over the course of the year to include all works in their collection. This exhibit will feature topics including the development of the collection and the donors and planners who helped develop the show.
Woodblock printing has been an Asian staple of art for some time. Religious books from Chinese Buddhist temples were seen as early as the eighth century in Japan.
In the year 764, the Empress Kōken commissioned a million small wooden pagodas, each containing scroll prints with Buddhist literature known as Hyakumantō Darani. These texts were then dispersed to temples around the land as thanks for the conquest of the Emi Rebellion of 764.
Buddhist Art: An Enlightened Thread through Asia
Printmaking was not the only art Buddhism touched as it spread across Asia. DIA is promoting a sense of mindfulness and compassion with their newest show focusing on the works of Buddhism in The Patterson-Kettering Wing of Asian Art.
Buddhism is still one of the major world religions today and spread through Asia via trade networks and dedicated communities of followers. Such a major movement could not leave the culture of the day untouched.
Visitors will see many forms of the visual arts including the printmaking, as well as finely crafted objects that played a central role in communicating and spreading the message of Buddhism.
This exhibit covers some 2000 years of Asian history and will let viewers get to know the people and ideas of this vibrant tradition.
Impressive: 100 Years of Japanese Prints at The DAI is on view until Jan. 5, 2020 and Buddhist Art: An Enlightened Thread through Asia is on view till Dec. 31, 2019.
DAI members can enter both exhibits free of charge, and are included in museum suggested general admission for guests who are non-members.
James Novotny
Staff Writer