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L’iconographie des Masques de Nô”

2021, Le Bulletin Association Franco Japonaise Nº 150

Abstract

In a survey of major masking traditions, the German ethnologist Andreas Lommel prefaced his comments on Japanese masks with an intriguing opinion. “All forms of artistic expression reach a peak of refinement in Japan. Here we find the purest possible translation of life into art—a complete ‘artificiality’—in a strict, absolute, and utterly unnatural stylization.” Setting aside the applicability of his assessment to every genre of Japanese art, Noh masks exemplify the aesthetic of “strict, absolute, and utterly unnatural stylization,” as reflected in a sophisticated and complex iconography. This essay explores the configurations, signification, and origins of this iconography.

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