Japanese Woodblock Prints

As a follow-up to the Tagata Shrine in the last post, I thought I'd post some old Japanese woodblock prints.  These are called "Shunga" (春画) which means "spring pictures". Most of the Shunga produced in Japan in the olden days had heterosexual content--but there were also a few like these.

I have always been fascinated with these pictures. I especially like the interesting ways that the bodies are entwined, and the way that some pictures show someone peeking in through a door or window! I think they have had a lot of influence on me, and it's visible in my work.

After WWII, pictures like these could not be seen or sold in Japan. It was illegal to own or show them, and when they appeared in art books, they were always censored, and the interesting body parts were covered and hidden. But in the 1990's, these pictures began to be treated as art, and books filled with Shunga appeared in bookstores throughout Japan. Now, they are considered as part of Japan's art heritage. 

An Interesting festival at Tagata Shrine

This is the Tagata Shrine Festival in Japan, which celebrates something which we all know and love. 
It's a ritual going back hundreds of years, for the purpose of guaranteeing good crops and increased fertility! 
The girls holding the smaller versions of the "object" are not there as sex goddesses; they are there as representatives of the shrine itself. 
In any case, everyone attending the festival seems to be wearing a smile. 
See the short clip

The Endless Winter

Where's I'm living, it's still winter, and it's nice and cold. And the news tells me that there's plenty of cold in the U.S. That's when it's nice to have a fireplace, to warm up the chills.

Speaking of fireplaces, here's an interesting picture I found. This is obviously a painting of the movie star Cary Grant. I like the modern style in which it's painted. And having him stand naked in front of a blazing fire is very cozy. It sort of makes the imagination run wild. Enjoy!