サリーの女 (Maiden in a sari), 1983. From the Museum publication on the artist Akino Fuku (秋野不矩)).
While in Japan I made a visit to the Akino Fuku Museum in Hamamatsu, Japan. While my favourite work of hers was not on display (the paintings are rotated, insert crying icon), it was still wonderful to be there and see her works.. I did get to see one of the artworks I featured on the blog as well as other rangoli paintings. You can’t gauge works from pcs at all, e.g. I didn’t realise Fuku’s canvasses are pretty large.
The sari is so similar to a Santiniketan silk I once owned that I am inclined to think this is a similar silk.
Getting to the museum takes some planning as it is a little out of the way so only for those really interested!
I also dropped by at the kimono/furisode show at the Nishijin Textile Centre, Kyoto. The show is about 10 minutes, free and held every hour at the Centre. If you do visit, factor the show in since it is quite charming. Plus you can see the weavers at work.
The blue kimono in the solo pic has a shuttle motif on the obi (sash) as part of Nishijin 550 (550th anniversary since the area began to be recognised as Nishijin)
The highlight for me was the History Room which displays textiles held by the Centre as well as pattern books and the like that date back to the Meiji era and even earlier. As with our textiles, you can see both continuity and change in the motifs, colours, patterns and the like (my favourite was the 20s/30s).
The rest of the Centre is given over to the gift shop as well as rental kimonos.
Vintage Indian Clothing 