Catherine Ludvik

This lecture will introduce the breathtakingly magnificent visual arts of Kyoto through Buddhist art, sliding-screen paintings, and the “moving museum” of Gion Matsuri. Buddhism has had an enormous impact on the arts and culture of Japan, and nowhere is this more visibly manifest than in the ancient capital of Kyoto, renowned for its especially high concentration of temples and their visual arts. Sliding screen paintings (fusuma-e) define and decorate much of traditional architecture, encompassing temples, castles, palaces, and great residences, visually articulating an intended mood and message related to space and function. Lastly, Kyoto’s greatest festival, Gion Matsuri, displays an astounding array and versatility of art works of both Japanese and international origin on the huge floats that are yearly reassembledand taken on procession through the city.