Week 2

 Japan and Japanisme 

Gina Christopher 

Japanese design was influenced by Chinese design, but is distinct in its own ways. Japanese designs thrive in unbalanced shapes and lines, while Chinese design is more symmetric and axial. Japanese design also focuses heavily on small details. Think tea setups, flowers, lighting and gardens. There are so many small details that make this style be perceived as beautiful. Japanese design is based on two main objectives, religion and site. Religion is important in Japanese culture, specially the practice of Buddhism. In this case, this styles aims to create the simplicity and calmness of the religion in the style of design. This may be why we see so many horizontal lines and natural features. Both of those create a sense of a calm and stable environment. Furthermore, site has a huge impact on design in Japan. The geography is mountainous and full of wonderful views. This is why many Japanese style buildings have wrap around terraces, walking areas in between the bays, and large openings. Besides glorious buildings, the Japanese period was highly successful in creating wonderful decorative arts such as ceramics, Imari, textiles, and paintings. One of my favorite pieces of this time is the The Lily Water Pond painting by Claude Monet! (I’ve attempted to recreate in many times in different color ways with oil painting). :)



My favorite architecture/furniture/interior design 

Imperial Village of Katsura 
I truly admire the interior of the Imperial Village of Katsura. The wood materials in addition to views throughout the village makes for a great experience. I appreciate the large openings to allow the surrounding site to be so interfered with the building as one.




Tray table 
I like these little tray tables because it the first time you see a small table like these. Small furniture pieces like these were crucial for Japanese’s culture to hold thier sanity items such as tea cups. Love!


Lighting 
I enjoy the soft and minimal use of light in Japanese design. Soft artificial light and natural light truly make a space feel more soothing and comfortable. 




Current Applications 

Modern Japanese interior design 



Soft interior lighting 



Modern tray tables 






One Step Further 
Claude Monet 
Claude Monet was an impressionist artist who had a deep appreciation for Japanese style art. His paintings are a prominent example of hoe Japanese aesthetics have impacted Western Art. I’ve always appreciated his work as a I was growing up and learning about it in art classes. I now see the relevancy to the Japanese design period, which is awesome!

 












Comments

  1. Ruth RamosFebruary 1, 2025 at 12:23 AM

    Hey Gina! I love how personable your blog entry was, I would love to see one of the paintings of The Lily Water Pond!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Cara VeenstraFebruary 1, 2025 at 5:14 AM

    Hi Gina! Great blog! I love the pictures you chose for the lighting section of your blog. I also love the current examples you found and the modern take on Japanese Interior Design. Great job!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Grace PekocFebruary 1, 2025 at 8:27 AM

    Gina, I loved your blog! You did a good job of summarizing the information we got by explaining your favorite pieces. Your current applications were also very interesting as you focused on the concept of soft lighting in Japanese interior design! Good job!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Professor VanderNoordaaFebruary 1, 2025 at 9:33 AM

    Gina,
    This Blog was outstanding! I loved how you described the details of Japanese design in very rich descriptive language. I also see you describing some of the elements of design we have been discussing and how they are used in Japanese design. I would love to see some of your re-creations of Claude Monet. The images you shared with us were very helpful. I loved the information you provided on lighting. Your current applications were great! Claude Monet was an excellent choice for "One Step Further". 50/50 Points

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anna ShultsFebruary 25, 2025 at 10:45 AM

    Gina, great job on your blog! I loved all your applications and how you give your favorites as well as current applications!

    ReplyDelete

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