Reflection Paper

A very strong dynamic was the influence of Buddhism along with the ongoing and progressive refining of the philosophy behind the art known as Wabi-Sabi.  “Finding beauty in the imperfect and incomplete” is an attempt to capture this philosophy which is the silent message in much of the Japanese painting, architecture, and sculpture.  The simplistic beauty of the art together with the heart of Wabi-Sabi profoundly reflect the culture of the Japanese

When I first decided to expand my education, it had been so long since I had been to school, and I was very hesitant. I talked at length about my decision with my husband and with his encouragement, decided to enroll but still was not quite sure which degree program to enroll in. I knew that this was something that I had always wanted to do since I obtained my Associates Degree in Nursing, but I did not have the courage, nor did I want to give up the time with my family and children. I second guessed my abilities and my knowledge because it had been so long since I had been in college. Now that my children are about to graduate high school and

Japan is often recognized as a land of peace, beauty, and diverse landscapes and climates that cannot be witnessed anywhere else on the planet. A majority of Japanese citizens practice Shintoism, a polytheistic religion whose gods exist within plants and animals. Because of this, an appreciation for nature is ingrained deep into the foundation of Japan’s values. This can be seen throughout the country’s entire history; much of its art and poetry has been focused solely on its natural beauty. Sudden Shower Over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake is a famous Japanese woodblock print by Utagawa Hiroshige published in 1857, one of many that shows an appreciation for Japan’s beautiful landscapes. The print belongs the ukiyo-e genre that emerged between the 17th and 19th century. Ukiyo-e literally translates to “pictures of the floating world” and the style dominated the art of Japan’s Edo Period. What began as a reflection of Japan’s indulgent and hedonistic culture, portraying subjects like beautiful women and extravagant scenes from the Kabuki theater, gradually transitioned into capturing landscapes and the lives of average people. Hiroshige was one of the pioneers of this transition with his famed One Hundred Famous Views of Edo, a 119-piece series that features celebrated landscapes in his hometown of Edo, known as Tokyo today, and his last great success before his death. Sudden Shower Over Shin-Ohashi Bridge and Atake is one of the pieces that belong to his series.

Throughout the course of this semester, I have continuously grown as a writer. Prior to taking this course, I had little experience or knowledge when it came to writing. I used to struggle with forming my thoughts into writing, let alone a paper. I was never confident with what I wrote. My writing had no greater purpose other than the assignment. My writing process included: writing my paper, proofreading it, and turning it in. Once the paper left my hands, it also left my mind. Throughout this course we worked with others, visited the writing lab, wrote critiques, and we were able to revise our papers. I believe that all of this is has caused me to grow greatly as a writer.

The calligrapher’s brush manifests the artist him or herself. Whether the artist wishes to have elegant brushes or simple bamboo brushes, they all have one simple job, to write. The beauty of the brush does not matter, but rather the work done with the brush. The work created with the tool rather than their supplies reveal how the Japanese value humility as well as the simplicity of the work. A simple movement of the brush on the paper creates a peaceful state of mind for the artists. It is a feeling of simple joy when the brush moves along the hand-made paper. The treasured Japanese paper is different from American paper. Machines create smooth,

This was an influential import and made a huge impact on the Japanese community. There is a mixture of both drawn and photographed images within this chapter. Japanese artists mainly produced images that are printed or hand drawn, while western artists produced the photographed images. The chapter overall includes both a mixture of Japanese and western artists. The images within the chapter portray the viewpoint of the artist who was present at the time of the

The Metropolitan Museum of Art has one of the finest Asian art collections that has enlightened and strengthened my understanding in my personal art experience. The Museum itself is an artistic architectural structure that graces the entire block on 82nd Street in Manhattan. Entering inside, I sensed myself going back into an era, into a past where people traded ideas and learned from each other. It is a past, where I still find their works of yesteryears vividly within my grasp, to be remembered and shared as if their reflections of works were cast for the modern devoted learner.

Japan discovered their identity through borrowing and adapting ideas from other countries. From China to the West, Japan has always been flexible and open to a borrowing a wide diversity of things, ranging from politics, architecture, and even woodblock prints. Adapted from China, woodblock prints, or ukiyo-e, use location, color, content, subject, proportions, and perspectives to depict a scenery. The art from a time or country can be used to infer many things about its culture and people. The two woodblock prints featured in this essay are “Okitsu” and “Kakegawa” by Ando Hiroshige.

The San Diego Museum of Art has remained a must-see stop for tourists and locals alike due to the informative nature of the displayed artwork pieces and its relation to world history. The centuries of artwork pieces can perhaps broaden one’s perspective of art cultures from around the world, as I have become more informed about Asian cultures and traditions through pieces, such as Brush and Ink. As Hans Hofmann stated, “through a painting, we can see the whole

Thesis This paper will employ close visual analysis of two Japanese woodblock print pieces from different periods of the 19th century and how they differ in Western ideals. This paper will compare Katsushika Hokusai's The Great Wave off Kanagawa to Ando Hiroshige’s Plum Estate, Kameido by their differing landscapes, colors, and acceptance of Western methods. I chose these two pieces due to both pieces being so different, although they are both woodblock prints. Further, I found it interesting that one piece, The Great Wave off Kanagawa, is known so widely while Plum Estate, Kameido is not.

The ukiyo-e or the ‘floating world’ art form focuses on providing entertainment, eroticism, and beauty, with popular subjects of female prostitution, everyday objects, and florals, mirrored in Van Gogh’s work. Pleasure is an evident theme at the time as the poor viewers lived vicariously through the images. Woodblock prints were affordable and easily produced in mass quantities, spreading the usage of thick black outlines, distinct color differences, landscape images, and the seductiveness of the human form.

Over the course of the semester, there has been numerous amount of areas where I believe I have improved in comparison to high school. What has helped me in my writing is the writing class and the in-class writing workshop. The writing class that is located in the Kremen education building has helped me with my writing greatly because in the writing center the person in charge teach us lenses and we apply those lenses to the writing, draft, or reading that someone brings in. The in-class writing workshop has helped me because other students get to read my writing. This is helpful because I get feedback from many students and they let me know what needs to be fixed. A new tool I have been using is They Say I Say. The book is very helpful because of the information and examples it provides such as the templates. I have been applying the templates into my essays and I have seen a significant difference.

We are all different in unique ways that make us who we are. Life comes in all shapes, sizes, colors, and orientations, and yet the only thing we, as a society, see is what makes up the best of these. So many people believe that being “different” is not acceptable in the world, and because of this, people deny themselves who they are and live in fear. I sadly found myself in the same situation, afraid and alone.

“That which does not kill us makes us stronger” Friedrich Nietzsche. One of the quotes that comes to mind if I were asked to represent my junior year in high school. By far this school year has to be one of the toughest I have yet experience. I faced myself with personal issues leading to a lack of motivation for anything really. My personal issues really affected my school work and restricted me from the joys of living for a short period of time. I found myself lacking in energy and enthusiasm for school. School became a burden. I had to juggle my school life with the pain of losing my Godfather. I struggled gaining the strength to get back to who I am truly. The talkative energetic girl who finds her ways to overcome the challenges she faces with a positive overlook. The loss of such an important figure in my life was difficult. Experiencing a hard break of such kind really affected me, but with the support of my loved ones I overcame the hardships and stand stronger today.

When I was around seven, I learned a valuable lesson of listening to your parents. Even to this day my parents would bring up that time to warm us not to do anything dumb. Whenever I am near the water, it reminds me of the stupid game that my brother and I used to do.