Drama and Desire:
Japanese Paintings from the Floating World 1690–1850
February 15–May 4, 2008
Hambrecht & Osher Galleries
Living only for the moment, turning our full attention to the pleasures of the moon, the snow, the cherry blossoms and the maple leaves; singing songs, drinking wine, diverting ourselves in just floating, floating: caring not a whit for the pauperism staring us in the face, refusing to be disheartened, like a gourd floating along with the river current: this is what we call the floating world . . .
—Tales of the Floating World (Ukiyo Monogatari),
approx. 1661, by Asai Ryoi
They lived for the moment: beautiful geisha, flamboyant actors, seductive courtesans. Meet the denizens of the "Floating World"—the theater and pleasure quarters of Japan's Edo period.
Paintings by masters of the era—Hokusai, Hiroshige, and others—captured the lives of the Floating World in vivid detail. Now, for the first time in more than 100 years, view 80 of these rare exquisite paintings from the unrivaled collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Mingle with beauties in an intimate world of sumptuous colors and stylish surroundings.
Check out the gallery for selected images of works on view.
Collection of Suggestive Pictures (detail), about late Tenmei (1781–1789) or early Kansei (1789–1801) era, by Katsukawa Shuncho (active about 1781–1801). Handscroll; ink, color, gold, and mica on silk. William Sturgis Bigelow Collection.
All exhibition images courtesy of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. This exhibition is made possible by Fidelity Investments through the Fidelity Foundation.
Additional support is provided by the Bernard Osher Foundation, the Henri and Tomoye Takahashi Charitable Foundation, the Blakemore Foundation, and United Airlines.
Media sponsors: The Mercury News and mercurynews.com.
