The Art and Architecture of Japan (Hist of Art)

By Robert Treat Paine and Alexander Soper

Book Overview

Once slighted as mere copying from China, the arts of Japan are now seen as a unique alternation of advances and withdrawals. At times the islanders produced Chinese-style works of great beauty,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140561080
• ISBN13: 9780140561081
• Release Date: March 1975
• Publisher: Puffin
• Length: 528 Pages
• Weight: 1.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 5.0" x 1.0" x 7.0"

Customer Reviews

Japanese art - A bird's eye view

'The Art and Architecture of Japan' is an interesting overview of the three main artistic fields: sculpture, painting and architecture. It is divided into two parts, the first one touching the first two, the second totally devoted to buildings. They have been written by different historians. For a general and synthetic view, it is a very good book. It's main problem is the fact that all its pictures are in black and white. The original text is also a bit old, but it has been tweaked and revised, and put up-to-date with notes (specially the second part). I give it 4 and not 5 stars because of the pictures, which in an art book (and more so with Japanese art, extremely colourful), you lose a lot from the use of B & W. If you can get it cheap, it is still a great general guide.

The Art and Architecture of Japan: Third Edition

Book was in the condition it stated. Prompt delivery. I will use this seller again.

Authoritative, scholarly work on a focused subject.

I purchased this book in my never ending pursuit of sholarly discourse on Japanese Buddhist sculpture. It is one thing to study sculpture and painting. It is quite another to understand it in the context of history and the architecture that housed it. Enlightening, to say the least, and meaningful reading. Its coverage of Buddhism and Buddhist art in Japan is noteworthy.