Ikko Tanaka (Tanaka Ikko) had more room for playfulness than the generation that preceded him. Working amongst the rubble of Japan's WWII defeat, his precursors advanced with heads of steam in urgent attempts to solidify their status among the world's elite. Born in 1930, Tanaka came on the heels of

Bright, Elegant, Ethereal, Pristine, Sophisticated

That Kei Takei is an avid gardener is no surprise considering the large role nature plays in her work. After living for three decades in New York Takei returned to her native Japan -- however, she says her garden is un-Japanese. "It looks natural," she explains, "not like a regular Japanese garden wh

Bright, Butoh, Organic, Pristine, Spiritual

The name of the architectural offices of Vastu-Shilpa Consultants, "Sangath," translates into "moving together through participation." The workspace's appellation is telling, as is the title of the group itself; Vastu Shilpa means "design of environment." In case it's not already painfully obvious, t

Environmental architecture, Functional, Modernist architecture, Organic, Political, Pristine, Sincere

Few artists' careers are as unspectacular and yet as enduringly respected as Richard Diebenkorn's. This is not a disparagement. Straddling the influences of Modernism and Abstract Expressionism, Diebenkorn took off on a steady trajectory of hard work and progress, one unmarked by dramatic incident or

Anal, Bay area figurative, Enigmatic, Pristine