The evolution of Teraoka’s art

Published to coincide with a series of major exhibitions, "Ascending Chaos" is the first major retrospective of Japanese-American artist Masami Teraoka's work thus far.

"Ascending Chaos: The Art of Masami Teraoka 1966-2006" Introduction by Catharine Clark With essays by Alison Bing and Eleanor Heartney, and Kathryn A. Hoffmann (Chronicle Books) Hardcover, $60

The Japanese-born artist, who resides in Hawaii, gained international acclaim in the late 1960s for wry sociopolitical paintings mimicking the flat, graphic style of Japanese ukiyo-e masters.

Through use of 175 color images, this stunning book traces the evolution of his work to dark, complex paintings reminiscent of Bosch and Brueghel. Teraoka's disturbing canvases -- populated by geishas, priests and prominent figures engaged in all manner of misbehavior -- continue his earlier commentary with much more explicit candor.

The images are accompanied by essays by art critics who discuss the marriage of East and West, sex and religion, in Teraoka's work, with an introduction by Catherine Clark, who has represented Teraoka since 1997.