Zuancho in Kyoto: Textile Design Books for the Kimono Trade

Exhibition of woodblock-printed books produced in Kyoto ca. 1890—1940, when widespread availability of synthetic dyes imported from the West introduced bright, bold colors to the Japanese printing and textile industries. The works on display demonstrate the Meiji-era transition in surface design for kimono from a painterly style to a graphic approach characterized by kinetic lines, geometric shapes, and abstraction of traditional Japanese themes drawn from nature.