Debra Antoncic
Special to The Lake Report/Niagara Now

The permanent collection at RiverBrink Art Museum in Queenston includes a significant number of prints and works on paper. This summer, we are pleased to further showcase the versatility of the medium by presenting an exhibition of woodblock prints by the internationally recognized artist Naoko Matsubara.

The Oakville-based artist has enjoyed a long career and many decades of artistic accomplishments. Through numerous group and solo exhibitions, and countless awards and accolades, Matsubara has pursued a unique vision, combining the traditions of her native Japan with her experience of many years in Canada and the U.S. The result is a fusion of influences from East and West.

The works in the exhibition at RiverBrink are drawn from the artist’s extensive exploration of the world of nature and Japanese folklore.

A selection of 12 woodcut prints from “Konjaku Monogatarishū” (“Tales of Days Gone By”) displays the artist’s conceptual skill and storytelling abilities. The tales, a collection of more than 1,000 folktales dating to the 12th century, provide a glimpse of Japanese society from centuries past.

In selecting stories for publication, Matsubara focused on three specific themes: tales of women, tales of wonder, and tales of Buddhism. The original woodcut prints are colourful and visually dynamic interpretations of the stories.

The rich variety of characters, including humans and demons, animals and birds, interact in the tales in magical and at times humorous ways. Of particular note are the many strong female protagonists who feature in the tales.

A second theme of the exhibition is the artist’s exploration of the natural world. In large-format works, Matsubara combines printmaking with collage to produce colourful abstractions.

These convey the sensibility of the seasons, for instance, the subtle shift in colour as spring moves into summer. These are rendered in visually stunning detail reminiscent of the large mural Jeux d’eau Matsubara created for the Kiwanis Aquatics Centre in St. Catharines in 2014.

Matsubara was born in Japan in 1937 on Shikoku Island and grew up in Kyoto. She completed a bachelor of fine arts degree at the Kyoto Academy of Fine Art in 1960 and was a Fulbright Scholar at what is now Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, where she completed her master of fine arts in 1962.

Matsubara was a special invited student at the Royal College of Art in London that same year. After travelling extensively in Europe and Asia, the artist returned to Japan for two years, before returning to the United States.

There she worked as assistant to the German-American professor, scholar, editor and wood-engraving artist Fritz Eichenberg. She also taught at the Pratt Institute of Graphic Art in New York, as well as at the University of Rhode Island. In 1972, Matsubara moved to Canada and resides in Oakville, Ont.

Since 1960, Matsubara has had more than 80 solo exhibitions in Canada, the U.S., Japan, England, Ireland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Holland, Mexico and Nigeria. She has also participated in numerous group exhibitions.

Her work is held in major public institutions and private collections worldwide. A large body of the artist’s work can be found in the collection of the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto, and her work is also on display this summer at the Art Gallery of Ontario.

The exhibition at RiverBrink continues until Sept. 13.

Debra Antoncic is the director and curator of the RiverBrink Art Museum.