Live Long and Prosper

Well, it's time. I have considered the other options for a week in a Zen cave, but it is time. The wind is not favourable. 

When I was looking at the schedule of the posts for the second season adventure, I noticed that the topics are probably not beneficial to the readers. That means they are also not beneficial to the project. That means they are also not beneficial to me. If it were my personal blog, the topics would be fine. But it isn't. If it were the proper time, there would be no problem. But this is unfortunately epilogging. This is about how I've been doing since the last season. This is about what I've been dealing with since the last "spring". Sorry, I have failed to eliminate Ban-nan 万難(all the obstacles). This is not just about the topics, this decision has been made based on my comprehensive assessment of the situations. In short, the wind is not favourable.

I selected the topics because they were the best thing I could show you. They were the subjects that I could write with passion. Just shutting everything down is a bit tasteless. So let me digest the second season and share the adventure one last time.

REVIEW: Exhibition 'Kaii Higashiyama' PART 3(final)

PREVIOUS: REVIEW: Exhibition 'Kaii Higashiyama' PART 2

    "Ever since 'awakening to the secret of landscape' after the war, Kaii had come to a resolution and began working without any bewilderment. Work went well, his reputation grew, one after another large-scale individual exhibition was put on, books on his paintings and writings were published, and was asked to give lectures and exhibitions at art galleries. Despite being so busy, Kaii was a perfectionist who paid attention to a single speck of dirt on the picture. He was also concerned about public opinion so that his mind was constantly tense with not a momentous of rest. In those days, after a frantically busy day on the go, on his way home, he would stop by at Shoko Kawasaki's house to take a bath and enjoy a meal cooked by Shoko's wife. Relaxing for a short time there may have been the only chance he had to stretch his arms and legs and feel at rest. However, he became all the more conscious of the conflict of leading his life as an artist while being involved with the society. His worries about overcoming this grew. It was at such a time that he was approached about producing the fusuma panels for Toshodaiji. This was his greatest luck. From then on, for ten years, he turned down all other commissions and devoted himself to these fusuma panels for the temple. He continued his work concentrating on the sole point that he wished to express his gratitude to Ganjin, the priest from Tang period China who came to Japan undaunted by several unsuccessful voyages over the years to convey genuine Buddhist disciplines. This was also the period during which both Kaii's spiritual and physical vitality were replete. As an artist, he could not have been luckier." —Suzuhiko Kawasaki 川崎鈴彦 (Nihonga painter, Kaii's brother-in-law), translated by Kikuko Ogawa 小川紀久子, from the catalogue of the exhibition

REVIEW: Jason Bourne

Well, let's talk about JB. Jelly Beans? Oh, thanks, that's sweet, but no, not that one. Jack Bauer? That's close. To me, it's Jason Bourne.

The Bourne series

Bourne series is a Hollywood blockbuster movie franchise which consisted of 'The Bourne Identity''The Bourne Supremacy''The Bourne Ultimatum'. Starring Matt Damon. Based on the novels of the same titles, written by Robert Ludlum, but the story was arranged so much and quite different from the original. And recently, the series got a new sequel, that is the film 'Jason Bourne'. 

Why So Bourne

  

I love this series; first, the story has attractive elements — an assassin, a thirty-million-dollar multilingual human weapon, who lost his memory fights alone with the government agency all around the world so as to gain the lost memory and his life. Second, the score fit like a condom — sorry about the indecent figure of speech, but that's because — music by John Powell who also scored 'Face/Off'. The variety of location led to the variety of sound. Last, 'The Bourne Supremacy' was excellent as both an action movie and a sequel. 'The Bourne Identity', the first film of the series, had a fine harmony between story and actions. For instance, a man who has amnesia in the darkness-coming, conspiracy-hiding, melancholic atmosphere of rainy snowy winter John-Powell European places, and a dynamic car-chase on wet streets. The action scenes were rich in variety — CQC, gunfight, car stunt. Then they escalated action scene brilliantly in the sequel 'The Bourne Supremacy'. And Jason Bourne always survives in adverse conditions.

REVIEW: Exhibition 'Kaii Higashiyama' PART 2

Afterglow

Afterglow 残照 1947, colour on paper, 151.5 x 212.0 cm, framed. The artist 東山魁夷 finished this picture two years after he was called up and joined the army and trained to dash himself at the enemy's tank holding a bomb. The picture has a simple but exquisite composition, subtle and intricate colours created by multi-layered pigments. It took me a while to escape from the gravity of the picture. And so Section II: Conversation with Nature begins.

Nihonga in the Time of the Anti-Nationalism after WWII

    "Once the war came to an end, as a reaction to the extreme nationalism before the war, a trend to negate traditional culture arose. This surge advanced on the world of nihonga, too and there were even cries that nihonga would cease to exist. Amidst such circumstances, many artists made a variety of attempts, but Kaii Higashiyama was rather cautious. He did not react to radical opinions and new theories of painting unless he himself was convinced. He was more interested in and keen about what was fresh amidst the flow of time. He was probably the sort of person who wanted to probe thoroughly into what the society was really calling for." ––Masaaki Ozaki 尾崎正明, translated by Kikuko Ogawa 小川紀久子, from the catalogue of the exhibition

Autumn Shade

Autumn Shade 秋翳 1958, 160.0 x 167.6 cm, colour on paper, framed. This is my most favourite piece from the period of the establishment of Higashiyama style. At around this period, Higashiyama appears to have started experiments with textures. Jikuso 軸装, or Hanging Scroll/Handscroll, was the traditional way of displaying pictures in Japan, then Frame allowed Japanese-style painting to try the thick coats of pigment. It can be said that the examples by the outstanding artist are quite beneficial materials. Toward the next, Section III: The atmosphere of the Ancient Cities.

George Miller and His Fury Road

Last year I mentioned the film 'Mad Max: Fury Road', however, not in a fair way. I care for fairness. And I do like this film. But I couldn't show my admiration for the film enough. The fact is, I couldn't sleep for over a year since that post, because of torment. George Miller, whose name is in the title of this post, is a creator of the Mad Max series and the director, writer, producer of 'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015) that is the latest film of the series. Today, I want to talk about him and his films —— briefly and casually. Of course. It's Friday. And I'm going to give you "How to see Fury Road". So, shall we?

George Miller, born in Australia, once a medical doctor, now a film producer, director, screenwriter, known for Mad Max series, Babe series, Happy Feet series. According to his career history, it seems that "vigorous participation, thoroughly and meticulously" is his film-making style and he has been making his visions realised besides his film producer business. Let's take a look at his career briefly;

1979 Mad Max

1981 Mad Max 2

1983 Twilight Zone: The Movie (one episode)

1985 Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome

1987 The Witches of Eastwick

(1989 Dead Calm)

(1989 Bangkok Hilton)

1992 Lorenzo's Oil

(1995 Babe)

1998 Babe: Pig in the City

2006 Happy Feet

2011 Happy Feet Two

2015 Mad Max: Fury Road

Though one person's deep involvement, there is "Lack of unity and consistency", in other words, "Experimental and curious tendency". You can't read him? Well, he reminds us of someone. He's also involved in most of these films as a writer. I like IMDb but when it comes to a guy like him, who takes multiple roles in a film, it's time to see Wikipedia. The table. And it's coloured! Very helpful. 

'Mad Max 2' was epoch-making. Japanese people are familiar with this world because of the Manga series that was inspired by this film. Miller enlightened me about Tina Turner. To me, she is not a singer but the ruler of the Thunderdome. The Witches of Eastwick, as it turned out, Miller made one of my witch-imprinting films. Dead Calm, Miller didn't direct this film but he really showed me how beautiful an Australian actress Nicole Kidman was. Bangkok Hilton, Miller didn't direct this film either but he did teach me how perilous to accept gifts from strangers in foreign countries is and mesmerising Nicole Kidman was. Happy Feet, I saw this when I was in the mood for animated-film without knowing that he made this film, and it was beyond my expectations. So I studied his career, then a small discovery hit me.

About the Second Season

The last year, the last season, the last feature post dealt with the exhibition and the artist. And this season, the first feature post deals with the same subject. It became too large, unexpectedly, actually. The introduction of the post REVIEW Exhibition "Kaii Higashiyama" represents a sequel that begins with right after the end of the previous work, which is JB style. James Brown? No, that's one of the most notable JB in the world, I admit it, but not that one. To me, it's Jason Bourne, The Bourne Ultimatum. It's an homage to my favourite film series and a greeting to you all. Sorry, I'm late. I've been busy. I'm not a full-time blogging adventurer. 


About Season 2

This is the sequel to the last adventure. Its sub-theme is —— "sequel". The sequel deals with sequel itself, sounds like very my taste. The first season: the theme "to go on an adventure and share it", the motto "Sometimes you gotta run, before you can walk", the goal "to attend Hans Zimmer Live", the sub-theme "Heian / Japanese beauty". The second season: the same theme, the same motto, the same goal, the sub-theme "sequel". Okay?

REVIEW: Exhibition 'Kaii Higashiyama: Nature, Men and Towns'

"I left home shortly after noon, but now it is 15:58, on the taxi, hoping to arrive there as soon as possible. The museum will close at 17:00. Probably approximately only 50 minutes left. What can I do now?" 

What I can do now is to praise the artist.


My Visit / Outline of the Exhibition

As I said before, I was looking forward to the exhibition a lot and had prepared an advance ticket — a two-times ticket for the two-terms exhibition — and attended twice. For some reasons, I visited the museum in the late afternoon of the final day of each term. It was a close shave. I almost missed them both actually.


The exhibition was held in the feature-exhibition gallery at the third floor(the second floor in English) of the Kyūshū National Museum 九州国立博物館 last summer in the midst of the Heisei-period major repair of Mieidō 御影堂 of Tōshōdai-ji 唐招提寺. They took the opportunity to have his largest painting work that was dedicated to the temple as a special feature exhibit.

It was the most splendid, spiritual, satisfying exhibition that I've ever seen, because of the power of the artist 東山魁夷, in the first place, of course, and also the enthusiastic ambitious elaborate arrangements which are based on a deep appreciation of art. Curated by Masaaki Ozaki 尾崎正明. I loved it, including the comments on paintings, and the pictorial catalogue. The book was excellent, full of properly photographed and printed his artworks. I have considered finishing this post only by saying "Just read the book". However, this is my blog, and that's nothing adventurous. Then, shall we have a close look at the exhibition and his life?


Into the Gallery

"Huge", that was my first impression. Section I: Seeking the Way (The Prewar Period); soon after the entrance into the gallery, the large canvases had a great impact. His early works were not yet sophisticated but quite energetic, and indicated young painter's ambitions. In fact, his painting works were all bigger than I thought. His tendency toward abstraction left cute impressions on the canvases, and small copies on books or the internet don't tell us about the size, details, matière, texture. They reminded me of the Aura of a work of art right after I ended the first season of this blogging adventure. In this Information Age, I am interested in something that cannot be reproduced. Life is Time. Experience cannot be reproduced and is made with Time. Higashiyama's artworks are truly worth experiencing. From his early works to the last, the retrospective exhibition traces the path that the artist had taken in chronological order except the works for Tōshōdai-ji temple.


His Early Years

Kaii Higashiyama was born in Yokohama in 1908 (Meiji 41). Since near the end of Edo — the abolition of "Sakoku" the National Isolation (1854), the change of the political system, modernisation and westernisation, wars — around this time, Japan was in turbulent times, and the successive dynamic changes of this country lasted actually until the 1990s.