Rimpa

But the new exhibition "Rimpa" (through Oct. 3) at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, blends all four.

The Gold Rush 2008

Though art scholars have long associated Rimpa pieces with the decorative, gold-coated paintings by these European artists, this is the first show to explore their relationship so directly.

The Gold Rush 2008

Artists then may have adopted the Rimpa technique of ignoring perspective and emphasizing "a flat logic of composition by paying more attention to the surface than the depth of the image," says Furuta.

The Gold Rush 2008

"Kuniaki Kuroki: The Rimpa and Hiroshige -- Expression of Japanese Aesthetics through Glass" exhibits 80 works of glass by the Japanese artist Kuniaki Kuroki (born 1945), drawing upon the classical Japanese art of Ogata Korin (1658-1716) and Utagawa Hiroshige (1797-1858).

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Then Rimpa paintings and crafts were a big hit at the world fairs in London (1862) and Paris (1867 and 1878); Klimt, the leading Viennese painter of the time, is likely to have encountered such works at the 1873 Vienna World Fair.

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Curator Ryo Furuta mounted the exhibit to pose one question: what is Rimpa?

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Characterized by the lavish use of gold, silver and bold colors and flat, highly ornamental designs, Rimpa is reflected not only in contemporary Japanese works but also in the show's Western pieces, like Klimt's "Life Is a Struggle -- 'Golden Knight'" (1903) and "Screen for Olivier Sainsere" (1903) by Odilon Redon.

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The curator hopes the show will provoke further discussion on the link between Rimpa and the Western works and perhaps lead to breakthrough discoveries.

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"It is a daring and significant survey," says Eiji Tanaka, an Osaka-based Rimpa scholar.

The Gold Rush 2008

The Rimpa influence over Western art is not nearly as clear-cut as European artists 'infatuation with Japan's Ukiyo-e woodblock prints from the Edo period (1603-1867).

The Gold Rush 2008