Illustrated history of Chinese floral art provides practical suggestions for applying traditional methods to modern settings, including selecting flowers for symbolic qualities and beauty. Forty-two illustrations span centuries of Chinese paintings, prints, tapestries, and porcelains.

This colorful flower arranging book features instructions and designs from one of the world's greatest living masters. Asian flower arranging originated in ancient China where it then spread to Japan, Korea and beyond. As influenced by the philosophy of "harmony between man and nature," Chinese flower arrangement advocates for nature to represent life, emphasizes composition to display vividness, and focuses on connotation to exhibit artistic concepts. Gradually, these become the characteristics of Chinese flower arrangement—the beauty of nature and composition which are entirely different from the beauty of western decorative styles. This book records the origin and development of Chinese flower arrangement. Besides the principle of composition, techniques of modeling, and configuration of flowers and materials, you will also discover the methods of production and ten actual flower arrangement projects. You can either follow the lessons step by step or capture the ideas and be inspired to develop your own flower arrangement artwork.

In China, flower arrangement is a venerable art with records dating back to the early Zhou Dynasty, the Spring and Autumn Period, and the Warring States Period, roughly between 11th century BC and 3rd century BC. This volume brings together two celebrated Ming Dynasty texts, On Vase Flower Arrangement by Zhang Qiande (1577-1643) and History of Vases by Yuan Hongdao (1568-1610). The latter of which was translated into Japanese and deeply impacted that country's tradition of flower arrangement. Uniting the two famous books, horticulture scholar Li Xia provides contemporary readers with a theoretical framework for evaluating flowers, selecting vases, and appreciating the time-honed techniques of Chinese flower arrangement. A Modern Reader on the Chinese Classics of Flower Arrangement includes images of several hundred Chinese paintings, documenting the rise of flower arrangement in China. By the Song Dynasty, flower arrangement was widely regarded it as one of the four arts of literati leisure, along with tea brewing, incense burning, and scroll-painting. Li Xia also highlights aspects of Chinese culture hidden behind flower arrangement, offering insights into its historic, aesthetic, and philosophical underpinnings as well as a model textbook for flower arrangers at all stages of practice.

Illustrated history of Chinese floral art provides practical suggestions for applying traditional methods to modern settings, including selecting flowers for symbolic qualities and beauty. Forty-two illustrations span centuries of Chinese paintings, prints, tapestries, and porcelains.

This Chinese papercraft book introduces readers to 24 unique paper flower patterns, with techniques for their folding and decoration, and tips for composition, color matching, floral vessels and display.The 24 patterns are designed to match the "24 solar terms" on the Chinese lunisolar calendar, with six flowers for each of the four seasons. They are ideal for gracing your living room, bedroom, study or hallway, as ornaments on mirrors and bookcases, or as wall hangings and window display, or being made into bracelet, garland and hairpin accessories. Some can look surprisingly realistic, while others are ingeniously designed, all being great for birthday parties, family gatherings, New Year parties and weddings. Notably, each design has incorporated elements of the Chinese art of flower arrangement, with elegant simplicity and Eastern charm.The Chinese origami book comes with patterns for folds for each design. Readers can either copy these patterns by hand on their preferred paper or simply photocopy them to cut and fold paper flowers by themselves.

**Winner, Choice Magazine Outstanding Academic Title 2015** This Japanese design book presents the arts, aesthetics and culture of Japan with over 160 stunning color photos and extensive historical and cultural commentary . The Japanese sensibility often possesses an intuitive, emotional appeal, whether it's a silk kimono, a carefully raked garden path, an architectural marvel, a teapot, or a contemporary work of art. This allure has come to permeate the entire culture of Japan—it is manifest in the most mundane utensil and snack food packaging, as well as in Japanese architecture and fine art. In Japanese Design, Asian art expert and author Patricia J. Graham explains how Japanese aesthetics based on fine craftsmanship and simplicity developed. Her unusual, full-color presentation reveals this design aesthetic in an absorbing way. Focusing on ten elements of Japanese design, Graham explores how visual qualities, the cultural parameters and the Japanese religious traditions of Buddhism and Shinto have impacted the appearance of its arts. Japanese Design is a handbook for the millions of us who have felt the special allure of Japanese art, culture and crafts. Art and design fans and professionals have been clamoring for this—a book that fills the need for an intelligent, culture-rich overview of what Japanese design is and means. Topics explored in Japanese Design include: The Aesthetics of Japanese Design The Cultural Parameters of Japanese Design Early Promoters of "Artistic Japan" 1830s-1950s

In this lovely, meditative exploration of Ikebana -- the Japanese art of flower arranging -- Joan Stamm shows us how her twin paths of Buddhist practice and artistic endeavor converge and indeed become thoroughly intertwined. In reflecting on the fading of a lovely bloom, the author understands impermanence; when she shows us the natural symmetry of a blossom, we find that we too have regained our balance. Stamm's elegant, lush voice weaves childhood memories with meditations on the symbolic importance of nature.

This striking work, prepared through the enthusiasm of Professor Conder, who was Professor of Art and Architecture to the Japanese Government, is particularly important as it includes six woodblocks by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi, deemed to be perhaps the finest print designer of the period (1839-1892) - a Kuniyoshi pupil who stands almost alone in expressing ukiyo-e vigor during the years of social, political and artistic upheaval.