December, 1973 – Tools for Spinning, Weaving and Dyeing Cloth
Artist
Nishijima, Takeshi
(Japanese, 1929–2003)
Date1972
Mediumhand stencil-dyed print, ink and color on handmade kozo paper
ClassificationsPrints
Credit LineGift from the Judith and Paul A. Falcigno Collection
Object number2010.190.13
DescriptionNishijima and others in the Folk Art Movement were interested in promoting traditional crafts. They found that both the handmade products and the tools that produced them were worthy of depicting. The picture here show a glimpse of the process of making paper and tools for producing cloth.The simple handmade tools shown in the calendar for December would have been familiar to Nishijima and the other textile artists in this exhibition. Utensils, pots and tools were a common depiction for December calendars, a month when the Japanese cleaned and tidied their homes and workshops for the New Year.
Label TextTRADITIONAL CRAFTS: PAPER AND TEXTILES Nishijima and others in the Folk Art Movement were interested in promoting traditional crafts. They found that both the handmade products and the tools that produced them were worthy of depicting. The pictures here show a glimpse of the process of making paper and tools for producing cloth. The October picture depicts the traditional manufacturing of paper, an occupation pursued on farms from late fall through the winter months. After harvesting the rice crops, farmers started making paper using pulp derived from branches of paper mulberry shrubs/trees, which were also grown as a farm crop. The wet sheets of paper were laid down and brushed flat onto wooden boards in order to dry in the sun (itaboshi). The simple handmade tools shown in the calendar for December would have been familiar to Nishijima and the other textile artists in this exhibition. Utensils, pots and tools were a common depiction for December calendars, a month when the Japanese cleaned and tidied their homes and workshops for the New Year. ProvenancePaul A. Falcigno and Judy Mansfield, Hamden, CT
On View
Not on view
