A simple-seeming basket by an artist who excelled in complexity. Living National Treasure Katsushiro Soho constructs his baskets from such twisting, striated lines , which give the impression of flickering movement as one passes in front of the basket. The same technique allowed Juran to make the planar faces of the abstract forms he often pursued. The construction of such surfaces may appear straightforward, but in technical terms they are extremely difficult to compose into forms that retain structural integrity and at the same time clarity and elegance, as here. 
 
Shiotsuki Juran (1948-2016) was one of the post-war generation whose works explored the border-zone between traditional utilitarian bamboo art and the abstract sculptural work of recent decades. The late 1970s and 1980s were intensely creative and productive years for Juran, as his works appeared in the 32nd, 35th, 36th and 38th Exhibitions of Japanese Traditional Art Crafts, as well as in several other noted exhibitions. He won numerous prizes in this period, including the Chairman’s Prize at the Dento Kogeiten in 1989. Four of his works reside in the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.