Taiga in Philadelphia

All you Philadelphians (and those of you passing through town anytime between now and July 22 of this year): Terrific, terrific show of brush paintings by Ike Taiga and his wife, Tokuyama Gyokuran, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This is the first time their work has been featured in the United States, and once again Philadephia has scored big. (The Museum had another fabulous show of works by Hon’ami Koetsu (1558–1637) back in 2001, making them my favorite Asian Art advocates.)

Taiga (1723-1776) has a sensibility that feels timeless, elegant and relevant. His brush paintings–particularly his “fingernail” pieces which were painted by using his index fingernail like a pen stylus–are masterful and yet, stylistically, very diverse. But it is his calligraphy that stopped me short time and time again. It is effortless effort, and so fluid.