New WEA (Workers Educational Association) Courses from September 2012

The Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation is pleased to be hosting another season of WEA courses about Japanese art, culture and society.

Art History: An Introduction to Japanese Art and Culture                    C2416253

Japanese culture has developed through the assimilation of external influences and has often proved to be a curious mix of the old and new. This course will examine Japanese art using historical, social, cultural and aesthetic contexts, highlighting the main characteristics.

Tutor: Kiyoko Mitsuyama-Wdowiak
Start Date: 24 September 2012
Day: Monday
Course Times: 11:00 – 13:00
Number of Sessions: 20
Fee: £190
Venue: Daiwa Foundation Japan House, 13/14 Cornwall Terrace, London, NW1 4QP (map)

Course Aim: The aim of this course is to provide a basic knowledge about the historical development of Japanese art and to introduce some relevant issues in Japanese culture. The sessions:
1) Outline the development of Japanese essential artworks and movements from ancient times to the present, using historical, socio-political, cultural and aesthetic contexts.
2) Introduce some aspects of the country’s culture and people’s way of life, looking at relevant topics from a wide range of the country’s art and culture.

Art History: Japanese Art, Culture and Society (2)                    C2416405

The course will explore the essential issues of Japanese art. It will develop and contextualise the participants’ own interests in Japanese art, linking their interests to the country’s culture and contemporary society. Active participation will be expected.

Tutor: Kiyoko Mitsuyama-Wdowiak
Start Date: 24 September 2012
Day: Monday
Course Times: 14:00 – 16:00
Number of Sessions: 20
Fee: £190
Venue: Daiwa Foundation Japan House, 13/14 Cornwall Terrace, London, NW1 4QP (map)

Course Aim: This course aims to deepen the participants’ understanding of Japanese art and culture, providing them with a greater knowledge of the subject and will look at the relevant contexts. Areas to be examined during the sessions include:
1) How has modern Japanese art developed since the Meiji Restoration in 1868?
2) During this process what was inherited from the previous aesthetic achievement and what was new?
3) How are these old and new elements reflected in contemporary Japanese art, culture and society?

By examining these questions, along with others related to Japanese art and culture from other periods, the sessions intend to contextualise the participants’ knowledge and to cultivate their further interest. This will provide a good opportunity to understand aesthetic values outside of those of the Western artistic tradition.

To enrol, or for more information, please visit: www.wea.org.uk