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Review: From sacred monkeys to mysterious cats, marvelous ‘Animals in Japanese Art’ at LACMA www.latimes.com

posted by  AkihabaraBot | 5 years, 7 months ago

“Every Living Thing: Animals in Japanese Art” is on view through Dec. 8 in LACMA’s Resnick Pavilion.
Cats are one ancient symbol for good fortune in Japanese art; cranes are another, overlapping with longevity, since folklore has it that a crane can live for 1,000 years.
Much Japanese art is infused with Shinto and Buddhist spiritual values, imported to the island through China and Korea, where nature spirits are a focus of worship.
Around half of the exhibition is from the museum’s impressive holdings, normally housed in the Pavilion for Japanese Art, which is closed for renovation.
You’ll leave wondering: Do animals play such a pervasive role in the art of any other culture?