Document Type
Report
Publication Date
7-2023
Abstract
Hsuan Tsen, a senior lecturer in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Dayton, received the 2023 Resident Scholar Fellowship in the Marian Library to continue research on visual exchanges between Japan and America in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Tsen’s research explores the work artist John La Farge produced in the wake of a trip to Japan in 1886.
La Farge was successful in his day, Tsen says, but his works are relatively unknown today.
“Some of those are stained glass, which really requires one to see them in person to appreciate their full effect,” she says. His style also does not cater directly to today’s trends.
“He uses some very sharp color contrasts, and in the case of the works I am interested in, they mix East Asian and Western religion and references in surprising ways,” Tsen says. “I am particularly interested in the ways in which La Farge, who was Catholic, navigated the terrain of religion in the Northeast at the end of the 19th century. He was making work for Protestant clients and spaces and was also part of the trend of integrating a fascination with Buddhism into his work. My research focuses on his representations of the bodhisattva Kannon and the ways in which it was inflected by – or even merged with – Mary.”
In addition to published material on Marian depictions in art, Tsen also planned to consult archival collections and visual art, such as works featured in the 2017 Marian Library exhibit “Ex Oriente Lux”: Marian Art of Asia.
“It was largely viewing this exhibition that prompted me to apply for the fellowship,” she says. “I’m really excited to be given the time and space to focus on this work. I’ve only dipped into the library briefly on a few occasions so am looking forward to exploring all that it has to offer.”
The resident scholar fellowship includes a $3,000 stipend and the expectation that the researcher will present their project to the University of Dayton community in the following academic year.
eCommons Citation
Tsen, Hsuan, "2023 Resident Scholar Fellowship: HsuanTsen" (2023). Marian Fellowships and Other Sponsored Research in the Marian Library. 5.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/ml_fellowships/5
COinS
