Lindisfarne Castle in the snow, by Takumasa Ono. ©NTPL/Takusama Ono
Takumasa Ono is an artist working in two traditions.
View of Mt Fuji from downtown Edo, by Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858), at Cragside, Northumberland. ©NTPL/Derrick E. Witty
On the one hand his work is reminiscent of the ukiyo-e school of Japanese printmaking, with its dramatic perspectives, striking silhouettes, and sensitivity to the seasons.
Belton House, by Takumasa Ono. ©NTPL/Takusama Ono
On the other hand his pictures remind one of the British tradition of country house views, showing the house as the focal point of the landscape.
Belton House, English School, c. 1720. Acquired with the help of the National Heritage Memorial Fund, 1984. ©NTPL/John Hammond
For a number of years now Mr Ono has been travelling around Britain making ‘portrait’s of National Trust properties. Each picture is a highly personal take on a particular place.
Woolsthorpe Manor (Isaac Newton's birthplace), by Takumasa Ono. ©NTPL/Takumasa Ono
Mr Ono is almost like one of those eighteenth century travellers seeking out picturesque views to sketch and paint.
A garden in spring, by Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858), at Cragside, Northumberland. ©NTPL/Derrick E. Witty
But instead of using a Claude glass to give a classical tinge to the view, he brings a subtle Japanese perspective to the image. In Japan, too, there was a tradition of making pictures of ‘famous places’.
Lyme Park in the snow, by Takumasa Ono. ©NTPL/Takumasa Ono
This year Mr Ono will be showing his work at the following National Trust properties:
- 30 April – 18 May: Ickworth House (Suffolk)
- 28 May – 13 June: Dinefwr Park and Castle (Carmarthenshire)
- 26 June – 11 July: Hanbury Hall (Worcestershire)
- 23 July – 6 August: Speke Hall (Liverpool)
- 18 August – 5 September: Baddesley Clinton (Warwickshire)
- 8 September – 26 September: Wightwick Manor (West Midlands)
Farmers working in rice fields in the rain, by Ando Hiroshige (1797-1858), at Scotney Castle, Kent. ©NTPL/John Hammond
Prints can also be purchased directly through his website. An interview with Mr Ono in The Artist can be read here.
Barbara of It’s About Time has just posted some beautiful photographs of Lindisfarne Castle (the Ono print of which is at the top of this post).
