Traditional Japanese Design Motifs

The subtlety and vitality of traditional Japanese design are admired (and imitated) the world over. Here is a treasury of hundreds of authentic Japanese design motifs all copyright-free and easy to reproduce- sure to appeal to artists and craftsmen striving for distinctive touches in their projects. Noted artist Joseph D'Addetta presents 264 strikingly beautiful pen-and-ink renderings of motifs from ceramics, textiles, lacquerwork, screens, fans, woodblock prints and other valuable objets d'art found in museums and private collections. Designs date from the 13th to the 20th centuries, and reveal something of the evolution of Japan's remarkable artistic sophistication. Plates are grouped into seven categories: Plants and Flowers Symbolic Objects Animal Life Geometric Patterns Human Figures Water and Wave Forms Ceramic Objects Within each category you'll find stunning variations on the major motif - a crane encircled by plants, scenic vignettes, thunder and wind demons, family crests and much more - as well as marvelous border elements. Captions identify and date motifs - for designs taken from ceramic objects you will usually find identifications by "school" or style as well. The spare, powerful style of Japanese design has exerted immense influence upon the West. Traditional Japanese Design Motifs offers today's artists and craftsmen an extensive collection of authentic, readily usable, copyright-free designs sure to enlarge artistic vocabularies and impart graceful strength to any project.