As someone who was born and raised in Singapore, a small country with meticulous city planning, the government decided early on that the often untidy electricity cables that deliver power should be build underground to reduce surface clutter, and as such I grew up in an urban landscape where they are nary a power line to be seen. This is exactly why the sight of the complex and extensive power lines that run all over Tokyo was so fascinating to me when I moved to Japan in the early 2000s.

The Electrical Line Art Exhibition – From Kobayashi Kiyochika to Yamaguchi Akira (電線絵画展 －小林清親から山口晃まで) held at the Nerima Art Museum in the spring of 2021 explores this exact subject matter in Japanese art. These power lines are such an integral and ubiquitous sight in both the rural and urban areas that it is little wonder that Japanese landscape painters and Ukiyo-e woodblock printers have included them when creating their art.

With over 150 art pieces showcased beginning from the early Meiji Era, the list of artist and painters include Ryusei Kishida (岸田劉), Kawanabe Kyōsai (河鍋暁斎), Hasui Kawase (川瀬巴水), Asai Kanemon (朝井閑右衛門) as well as the aforementioned Kobayashi Kiyochika and Yamaguchi Akira.

This art book is the official catalog for the exhibition and collects most, if not all the pieces of art work that was showcased, with over 170 pages of paintings and illustrations featured.

A most fascinating collection of beautiful paintings and art showcasing Japan’s prominent landscape feature electrical lines; my favorites are those by the Ukiyo-e / Shin-hanga artists like Kobayashi Kiyochika and Hasui Kawase.

Because of the dreaded COVID pandemic, travel to Japan has become impossible; this exhibition ( among many others ) would likely have been on my list of things to visit if travel to the country had been allowed. This art book is the next best thing, and through it I am happy to discover many new Japanese artists, both traditional and contemporary that I am excited to find out more about. Recommended.

“Power Lines Art Exhibition ( Nerima Art Museum ) 電線絵画展 図鑑” art book details :

Dimensions – 19 x 1.5 x 25.7 cm
Softcover, 176 pages
Full color, In Japanese language

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