Loving Art

“Scenes of Lovemaking” by Sugimura Jihei

Today’s New York Times on-line posted this lovely image in its highlights of Asian Art Week…how can you not love this!

At Sebastian Izzard (17 East 76th Street) “Early Images From the Floating World: Japanese Paintings, Prints and Illustrated Books, 1660-1720” focuses on early guides, how-to sex manuals (for brides and courtesans alike) and erotic prints pertaining to the red-light districts of Edo-period Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto. Color wood-block printing had not yet been invented, so all the color in these prints is applied by hand and is out of this world. It is most heavenly in the rare and abundant boldly composed prints of Sugimura Jihei, a generally overlooked master of the genre.