Finely Detailed ëDreamí Exhibit of Japanese Woodblock Print Shows Commitment to Perfection by Deanna Murshed Weíve grown accustomed to the Westís fascination with the Orient, particularly in the modern era. It is refreshing, however, when art can remind us that the flow of culture travels in both directionsówith the East also being shaped and colored by strokes from the West. Crosscurrents of this sort are especially evident in the artifacts of common people. Magazine pin-ups or baseball cards often say as much about a societyís leanings and cultural influences as any form of "high" artósometimes more so. The Arthur M. Sackler Galleryís latest "Dream Worlds" exhibit featuring beautiful Japanese prints from the late 19th and early 20th centuries add a modern twist on a tradition that was not always considered a "major" art formóJapanese woodblock printmaking. Although the woodblock technique of this collection is similar to what originated from an earlier era, many of these prints are dotted with post-industrialized elements, such as cars and trains, or offer modern stylistic renderings to otherwise iconic images, even taking impressionistic liberties with light and color. The exhibit features approximat ely 160 selected pieces from the collection of Robert O. Muller, who in his recent passing bequeathed more than 4,500 Japanese woodblock prints representing 240 artists to the Sackler Gallery. Muller fell in love with this art form when he was a young man peering through a New York shop window, spending his allowance of $5óa significant sacrifice for a student in the days of the Depressionóto buy his first print, a night scene of a bridge by Kawase Hasui. Mullerís acquisitions over the course of his lifetime resulted in one of the worldís finest collections of its kind, and reflected his affinity for two categories of Japanese prints. The first category sampled an earlier era of experimentation that emerged in the late 19th century and was characterized by fantastic depictions of myths and events and unique treatments of light and shadow. The second category, in which a blend of Old World and newer elements is more noticeable, includes prints created in the "shin-hanga" (new print) style, an entrepreneurial creation of publisher Watanabe Shozaburo in the beginning of the 20th century. These prints mimic the Western idea of the "limited-edition" print and tailor traditional Japanese subjects to modern artistic sensibilities. The "Dream Worlds" exhibit is divided by theme and subject matter. In "Creatures Real and Imagined," scenes from nature are portrayed in a mix of grace and whimsy. Birds and small animals are rendered in the Japanese artistic tradition as if they possess a sort of "knowing spirit" and are given almost human dimensions. Subjects are approached with a spiritual reverence and softness. Another theme, "Stage Presence," represents the Japanese esteem for kabuki, a form of theater that began as bawdy entertainment on the riverbanks of Kyoto. The treatment of the actors emits a certain "theatricality" seen in the bold, dramatic lines, colors and expressions on the faces of the heroes and heroines in the played narratives. Within the theme "The Quality of Light" are prints that bear striking similarities to Western impressionist painting styles, such as those of Claude Monet. In Yoshida Hiroshiís "Sailing Boats" series, variations on light and color are represented in five separate prints for sunset, morning, mist, afternoon and night. Monetís haystack series reflects a similar idea. Finally, "Beauty Personified" offers images of the female form, a subject of iconic status. In pre-modern Japanese art, however, free observations of women were limited to those in pleasure quarters where artists had access to unguarded moments. Consequently, most depictions of women were erotic and tended to be characterized by moods such as coyness and longingóelements that were carried over into later depictions of women. "Tipsy" by Kobayakawa Kiyoshi is a departure from this tendency, offering a seemingly defiant portrayal of a fully modernized Japanese woman equipped with the Western accoutrements of cigarette, martini glass, lounge wear and suggestive glance. Although the Muller collection highlights the engagement of the old with the new, one thing is certain: The method remains traditional. At various stations along the exhibit are educational displays of this printmaking process, showing the innumerable layers of inking involved in producing a single image on meticulously carved woodblocks. Viewers will walk away from "Dream Worlds" awestruck by the necessary requisite of long-suffering, loyal attention to detail and painstaking commitment to perfection that these artists possessed. Lacking is any of the frivolity that has come to characterize some techniques in modern Western art: a random splash on a canvas or the haphazard draw of a camera trigger. The Old World method of woodblock printmaking appears to have been as much art as it was discipline. "Dream Worlds: Modern Japanese Prints and Paintings From the Robert O. Muller Collection" runs through Jan. 2 at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave., SW. For more information, please call (202) 633-1000 or visit www.asia.si.edu. Deanna Murshed is a freelance writer in Washington, D.C.