"Moon at Magome" ("Magome no tsuki") of 1930 is among 70 woodblock prints by Kawase Hasui at Carnegie Museum of Art. Click photo for larger image.

An exemplary exhibition of Japanese woodblock prints at Carnegie Museum of Art provides a richly illustrated examination of a significant early 20th-century artist of the "new print movement" as well as a view into a culture on the cusp of change.

"Kawase Hasui: Landscapes of Modern Japan" comprises 70 prints from the museum's very fine James B. Austin Collection and from a private collection that reveal Hasui's mastery of the form.

Moonlight dramatically illuminates landscapes, probing into deep shadows to reveal shapes while maintaining the mystery of night. Vertical striations that overlay a scene impart the urgency of a driving rainstorm. Falling snow pockets the sky and collects in soft drifts on rock, bush, roof.

While the prints may call to mind traditional Japanese woodblock prints, or ukiyo-e, Hasui, who lived from 1883 to 1957, was a member of a later movement, shin-hanga, which revived traditional process and subject matter while modifying the latter to contemporary tastes.

Iconic Mount Fuji appears transcendent in several manifestations, including foregrounded with a sailboat. A set of eight prints commissioned in 1920 by the Mitsu- bishi Co. for client gifts portrays company founder Iwasaki Yataro's villa and garden, now a public park.

Among rarities displayed are prints made before the devastating earthquake of 1923 that destroyed much of Tokyo, including Hasui's studio and publishing house. In spite of disruptions caused by the quake and the world wars, the artist continued throughout his career to produce scenes that reflected the serene Japan of the past that persisted, at least in his memory.

The exhibition continues through Sunday. Hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays, noon to 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $10, seniors $7, students/children $6, members free. For information, call 412-622-3131 or visit www.cmoa.org.

Elizabeth Asche Douglas captures the expression of Olympic silver medalist Lauryn Williams in "Eye on the Prize," part of the "Striving: Contemporary African American Artists of Pittsburgh" exhibition at the Heinz History Center. Click photo for larger image.

African American art

"Striving: Contemporary African American Artists of Pittsburgh" at the Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center presents work in a variety of media by 19 artists.

When sponsor National City Bank approached History Center curator Samuel Black for suggestions for a visual art black history project, he knew they didn't have to look beyond the city for talent and put them in touch with the artist organization Women of Visions.

The artists selected for the exhibition are a mixture of Visions members and invited artists, and several are men. As with any group show, the works offer only a sampler of an artist's range, but it's a solid collection with many high points.

Fiber works stand out, ranging from Ruth A. Ward's traditionally styled "Blowing in the Wind," updated with nontraditional colors, to LaVerne Kemp's vivid energized composition "Mendin' and Patchin'" and Tina Williams Brewer's harmonious and layered "Say It With Iron."

Also noteworthy are Elizabeth Asche Douglas' expressionistic treatment of Olympics star Lauryn Williams in "Eye on the Prize," J. Martin Bey's fanciful interpretation of a "Moroccan Market Place," Carlos Peterson's intriguing trio of digital photography explorations, Mary Martin's complementary blend of nostalgia and sophistication in "Dreaming of Nana" and Douglas Webster's skillfully done pastels.

"Striving" continues through Saturday at 1212 Smallman St., Strip District. Hours are 10 a.m.-5 p.m. daily. Free with History Center admission: $7.50, seniors $6, students $5, children $3.50, members and children under 6 free. For information, call 412-454-6000 or visit www.pghhistory.org.

Pestel performance

A captivating and mind-expanding performance of the improvisational "The Birds of Rio Negro" by The Villa-Lobos Brasilia Octet was a fitting finale for Michael Pestel's and Paul Krainak's exhibition "Brasilia: Constructing Oscar Niemeyer and Heitor Villa-Lobos" at Chatham College on April 23.

As Susana Amundarain, perched above the audience on an eight-runged ladder, read each of eight sections of a narrative, musician/artist Pestel played one of eight modified flutes while a member of the octet, facing one of Krainak's eight wall-mounted paintings, joined in. At the conclusion of each section, Pestel dropped its wadded page into one of eight glasses of water. For each succeeding section read, a new voice or instrument was added, the preceding performer turned to face the audience, and the preceding paper wad was fished out and placed on the upturned lid of a jar that held a burning candle. (The wads, later tucked into the ends of Pestel's flutes, would alter their sound.) Finally, Pestel wound a row of eight small cages containing mechanical birds that bounced and twittered in growing and then declining voice.

The Octet comprised David Rothenberg (clarinet), Steve Pellegrino (accordion), Eden McNutt (voice), Bruce Miller (banjo), Daryl Fleming (guitar) and Ben Opie (sax and clarinet), book ended by the ever-shy tENTATIVELY a cONVENIENCE (sampler) sporting full-body aqua and yellow feathers and beak, and visiting performance artist Caterina de Re, whose indescribable avian vocalizations both startle and delight.

Pestel is moving to Connecticut this month but expects to periodically return to Pittsburgh, including for a fall exhibition at CMU.

Heinrich talk

Noted Pittsburgh artist Adrienne Heinrich will discuss her work at 7 p.m. Friday in her solo exhibition "Memory Rooms" at GalleriE CHIZ, 5831 Ellsworth Ave., Shadyside, 412-441-6005.