Description
This is the most comprehensive English-language presentation of the work of Ōtagaki Rengetsu (1791–1875), a Japanese nun famed for her multifaceted artistic skills and prodigious output. Rengetsu (Lotus Moon) was one of the most remarkable women in Japanese culture, a trained samurai, wife, mother, nun, poet, calligrapher, painter, and potter.
This book was developed as a catalog for an exhibition of Rengetsu’s work mounted at the Royal Monastery of St. Mary of Pedralbes in Barcelona. Written by Professor John Stevens, the foremost authority on the artist, it includes a biography of Rengetsu based on his latest research, plus an introduction to her poetry, calligraphy, painting, and pottery.
The catalog of 90 entries includes several pieces not seen in the exhibition. Entries present full-colour photos of both the entire work and important details, plus the original Japanese kana, romanization, and English translations, with illuminating commentary. Taken as a whole, the book offers as an intimate portrait of the life and work of a remarkable female artist, as well as insights into significant thematic and cultural concerns of 19th-century Japanese art.
John Stevens lived in Japan for 35 years, serving as professor at Tohoku Fukushi University in Sendai. He has written and translated extensively on Japanese culture and has curated several international exhibitions on Zen art. Professor Stevens advises collectors worldwide on building and exhibiting their Rengetsu collections. He has written a biography of the artist, Rengetsu: Life and Poetry of Lotus Moon, and was a primary contributor to the catalog White Mist, Black Robe: Art of the Japanese Buddhist Nun Rengetsu, accompanying an exhibition held in Canberra.