D. Max Moerman will lead a virtual walkthrough of Japan Society exhibition on March 8
Who: D. Max Moerman, Ramona Handel-Bajema, PhD
What: Virtual discussion and walkthrough of “Shikō Munakata: A Way of Seeing,” on view at Japan Society through March 20
Where: Japan Society YouTube
When: Tuesday, March 8, free with RSVP (suggested donation $5-$20), 6:00
Why: On March 8 at 6:00, Barnard College professor and Columbia University Seminar in Buddhist Studies cochair D. Max Moerman will give the online lecture “Sacred Screens and Scrolls: Decoding Buddhist Symbols in Shikō Munakata’s Prints,” a deep dive into the current Japan Society exhibition “Shikō Munakata: A Way of Seeing.” Joined in conversation by Japan Society chief program officer Ramona Handel-Bajema, PhD, Moerman will walk through the show, which features nearly one hundred works by Munakata (1903-75), comprising woodblock prints, calligraphy, sumi ink paintings, watercolors, lithography, and ceramics.
“How does the artist breathe life into his work? By summoning the spirit of the art that lives inside him. . . . Power comes from the artist’s spirit, warmth from his tenderness, and serenity from his prayers,” Munakata explained in Hanga no Hanashi in 1954. Five years later, he came to New York City as a fellow in Japan Society’s Print Artists Program; several of the pieces he created for the institution are also part of the show. Moerman will focus on religious aspects of Munakata’s work, including the six-panel screen Eulogy to Shōkei and the twelve-set hanging scrolls The Ten Great Disciples of Buddha. The exhibit, which will have extended days and hours because of its popularity, also is highlighted by the newly rediscovered Tōkaidō Series from 1964, arranged at Japan Society to evoke the coastal road between Kyoto and Tokyo.