JAPANESE FILM SERIES CONTINUES AT CLARK ART INSTITUTE WITH “KWAIDAN”

January 24, 2017

Williamstown, Massachusetts—The free film series “Colors of Japan: Cinematic Impressions” at the Clark Art Institute continues with a screening of Kwaidan on Sunday, February 5 at 1:30 pm in the auditorium. Plan to spend the day at the Clark with free admission to the galleries as part of the Institute’s First Sundays Free program.

The film is presented in conjunction with the special exhibition Japanese Impressions: Color Woodblock Prints from the Rodbell Family Collection, on view through April 2. All films in the series are in Japanese with English subtitles.

In Kwaidan (unrated, 1965; 3 hrs), director Masaki Kobayashi adapts four ghost stories collected by Lafcadio Hearn in the nineteenth century, with a fine eye for the colors and themes of the era’s printmaking masters. From the credit sequence images of ink in solution to the surreal settings of four period folktales, Kobayashi delivers a rapturous immersion in the colors of the Floating World. This version restores one of the haunting stories cut from the initial American release.

ABOUT THE CLARK

The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of more than 270,000 volumes, is one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.

The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Galleries are open Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. For more information, visit clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.

Press contact:
Clark Art Institute
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413 458 0471