Author: nakano

National Museum of Western Art

From the late 19th century to the 20th century, painters from around the world visited the Brittany region in northwestern France to work on their works. The exhibition “Brittany, the land of admiration – A foreign land seen by Monet, Gauguin, Seiki Kuroda, etc.” will be held at the National Museum of Western Art in Ueno, Tokyo. It’s inside.
The exhibition will be held from Saturday, March 18, 2023 to Sunday, June 11, 2023.

Since I participated in the press preview, I will report on the state of the venue.

*The content of the article is as of the interview date (March 17, 2023). Please check the official website for the latest information.

What is “Brittany”, the inner country of France that artists around the world admired?

The varied and majestic nature, ancient megalithic remains, medieval and early-modern Christian monuments, and the simple and religious lifestyle of the people who speak the Celtic language of Breton. The Brittany region, which is located in the northwest of France and has a peninsula protruding into the Atlantic Ocean, was independent as the Kingdom of Brittany until the 16th century.

A “foreign country” within France that has preserved its unique landscape and culture even after being annexed by France. With the advent of Romanticism in the 19th century, many artists seeking new themes set their sights on Brittany.

In this exhibition, “Brittany, the Land of Admiration – Seen by Monet, Gauguin, Seiki Kuroda, and Others”, we focus on the period from the late 19th century to the early 20th century that fascinated painters, including paintings, drawings, prints, About 160 items such as posters will be exhibited. We are exploring what each painter sought and found in this foreign land. The works on display were collected from more than 30 collections in Japan and two overseas museums.

Chapter 1 “Brittany Found: A Journey to a Foreign Country”

The exhibition consists of four chapters.

Chapter 1, “Brittany Discovered: A Journey to a Foreign Country,” explores what images of Brittany have been popularized by Romantic painters since they “discovered” Brittany in the early 19th century. It introduces works born out of the trend of “picturesque tours” (travels to find picturesque landscapes in rural areas), including the watercolor paintings of British landscape painter William Turner.

While the idealization and stylization of the exotic image of Brittany, represented by female figures wearing koif (headdress) and wearing ethnic costumes, were overflowing with posters for the masses, Eugène Boudin and Claude Monet From the works of the traveling Impressionist generation, we can see that they faced the unvarnished nature of Brittany with a sincere attitude.

Of particular note are Monet’s Cave of Paul-Domois (1886) and Beryl of the Storm (1886).

In the fall of 1886, Monet spent two and a half months on Berrill Island, known for its wild scenery off the southern coast of the Brittany Peninsula. This is two of them.

It depicts a symmetrical landscape of calm sea and stormy sea. Grotto of Paul-Domois has a gentle touch and is relatively rhythmic, but in Beryl the Storm, the brush is applied wildly, as if one’s own physical senses were possessed in a storm. It’s as if Monet’s experience is engraved in the painting, such as being there.

From the 1890s, Monet began presenting a series of paintings in an attempt to capture moments in the ever-changing light and atmosphere on canvas. It is thought that it may have been an opportunity to deepen the

Chapter 2 “Sensitivity nurtured by the climate: Gauguin, the Pont-Aven school and the spirit of the land”

Chapter 2, “Sensitivity Nurtured by the Climate: Gauguin, the School of Pont-Aven, and the Spirit of the Land,” exhibits the works of Paul Gauguin and other painters who stayed in the small village of Pont-Aven in the southwest of Brittany.

Gauguin repeatedly stayed in Brittany from 1886 to 1894 to escape the hardships of life in Paris. It seems that he deepened his thoughts on the “wild things, primitive things” he wanted.

There are 12 works by Gauguin (10 paintings and 2 prints), which are one of the highlights of this exhibition. From Bois d’Amour’s Watermill Bathers (1886), which is arranged chronologically and retains the Impressionist style of Camille Pissarro, he uses simplified forms and colors to depict the real world and inner images. I was able to trace the transition of his style, such as Brittany Girls Standing by the Sea (1889), which shows the maturity of the synthesisist style integrated above.

“Brittany Girls Standing on the Seashore” depicts two girls holding hands and staring at the painter. The “wild and primitive things” that Gauguin himself was trying to find in this land are reflected in the figures of peasant children who endure labor and poverty, such as their strong, big legs and simple clothes. It is represented symbolically in a hypothetical form.

Chapter 3 “Taking Roots in the Land: Painters Who Continued to Stare at Brittany”

In Chapter 3, “Putting Roots in the Land: Painters Who Continued to Observe Brittany,” Brittany became a tourist destination and a resort area from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century. Pay attention to the painter who made it his hometown.

Inspired by ukiyo-e woodblock prints, Henri Riviere, who was a driving force behind fin-de-siècle Japonisme, taught himself to produce multicolored woodblock prints. Did Rivière project an image of another “foreign country”, Japan, into the idyllic scene of Brittany? It is interesting that he translated Brittany into Japanese and drew it as if it were in Japan.

A comprehensive series of 40 woodblock prints, Landscapes of Brittany , produced between 1890 and 1894, is not only eye-catching with its delicate color gradation, but also has a composition reminiscent of Hokusai. It felt familiar somehow.

Maurice Denis, who founded the Nabis school, was a painter who focused on the promotion of religious art, and because he was a devout Christian, he is said to have resonated with the spiritual climate of Brittany, which was deeply rooted in faith. In the exhibition, works such as Young Mother (1919), which depict a family living in Brittany in accordance with Christian iconographic traditions, caught my attention.

Also, from the image of paradise on earth where reality and fiction overlap, such as Bathing (1920), which projected the sea of ancient Greece on the coast of Brittany, the influence of classicism, which he fell in love with after his repeated trips to Italy after 1895. You can feel

In contrast to Denis’s bright and blissful scenery, the next exhibition presents a heavy use of black by the band noir (black group), a group that depicts the nature and customs of Brittany in the lineage of realism. Color works follow.

Among them, Charles Cottet’s 3.5-meter-wide large work Lamentation, Victim of the Sea (1908-09) was a masterpiece. A representative work of Kotte, who has worked on many works on the theme of the tragedy of the sea and people who endure the harshness of nature. At the wharf of the Isle of Sainte in Brittany, where maritime accidents have never ceased, the islanders’ mourning for a drowned fisherman is depicted superimposed on the traditional painting of the mourning of Christ.

Another of Cotte’s works that left an impression on me was The Flame of St. John (c.1900), which depicts a scene of prayers offered to the dead. The expression of light and shade, reminiscent of baroque paintings, is beautiful, and the expressions of the people illuminated by the bonfire have a solemn yet slightly chilling atmosphere.

Chapter 4 “From Japan to Brittany via Paris: The Eyes of Japanese Artists”

In the final section, Chapter 4, “From Japan to Brittany via Paris: The Perspectives of Artists from Japan,” he studied abroad in Paris, an advanced city of art, from the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century (from the late Meiji period to the Taisho period). , and focused on Japanese painters who also traveled to Brittany, a “foreign country within a foreign country”.

Seiki Kuroda, a leading figure in the modern Western-style painting world in Japan, was one of the first Japanese painters to visit Brittany.In 1891, he traveled to Brea Island with Keiichiro Kume before becoming a professor at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts. Kuroda’s Girl from Brecha (1891) is depicted with her hair down, which is unusual for a Brittany girl. The bright and dark contrasts in Rembrandt-style interiors and vivid color contrasts are eye-catching.

Kanae Yamamoto, who contributed to the popularization of creative prints, was one of the people who visited Brittany. “Bretonne” (1920), well-known as an image of a Japanese painter’s research in Brittany, is a woodblock print completed after returning to Japan based on sketches during his stay. The screen composition that emphasizes the horizon with a simple background that matches the sketch, and the calm blue and black color tone create the tranquil atmosphere of the iconic Brittany woman.

Related materials such as guidebooks and trunks were also exhibited at the venue, and it was a fun point that I felt like traveling to Brittany through those materials and works.

Various artists from both the West and the East are working on one big theme, Brittany, but what they saw in this foreign land and what kind of approach they took were completely different. A painter who stared at the beauty of the scenery of Brittany and envisioned paradise, and a painter who sublimated the harsh realities of poverty and maritime accidents into his works. It was an ambitious exhibition that once again shed light on the individuality of each artist.

The event will be held until June 11, 2023 (Sun).

Overview of “Brittany, the Land of Admiration: A Country Seen by Monet, Gauguin, Seiki Kuroda, and Others”

 

Article provided by: kokosil Ueno

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The University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts

The “Purchased Exhibition -Geidai Collection Exhibition 2023-“, which introduces carefully selected excellent works purchased by Tokyo University of the Arts from among the graduation and completion works, is being held at the University Art Museum, Tokyo University of the Arts from March 31, 2023. . (Exhibition period is until May 7)

*All works introduced here are owned by Tokyo University of the Arts.

Tokyo University of the Arts (hereafter referred to as Geidai) has been collecting a wide variety of art works and materials since its predecessor Tokyo Fine Arts School opened in 1889 (Meiji 22). As an opportunity to widely display the vast collection, the university art museum holds the “Geidai Collection Exhibition” every year with a theme.

The 2023 “Geidai Collection Exhibition” began in 1953 after the war. Purchasing system”.

It seems that there was a tradition of purchasing graduation works from Tokyo Fine Arts School and collecting them to use as educational materials, and currently the number of “student works” in the collection of Tokyo University of the Arts exceeds 10,000.

This exhibition, “Kaijoten” , collects about 100 of these works, an unprecedented number, and looks back on the history of the University of the Arts and the birthplace of modern and contemporary art history in Japan. This is a unique exhibition that connects Japanese paintings by major stars in the Meiji era to mixed media installations by up-and-coming artists in the Reiwa era.

The exhibition consists of two parts.

Part 1, “Student Works of Masters,” focuses on graduation works from the Tokyo School of Fine Arts from the Meiji period to the early Showa period. Selected artists who have played leading roles in various fields of the art world after graduating, will exhibit their graduation work, which can be called their debut work, as well as “self-portraits” that were customarily worked on at the same time as their graduation work. I’m here.

As soon as we entered the venue, we were immediately greeted by Taikan Yokoyama, a first-year student of the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, with his Muradō Kanen-o (1893) and Kanzan Shimomura’s Cherry Blossom Viewing at Kumano Gozen (1894). Hazan Itaya’s “Genroku Bijin” (1984) welcomes us with an impressive line-up.

Hazan Itaya achieved great success as a pottery artist, but it wasn’t until his mid-20s that he started working on pottery in earnest. While in school, he learned sculptural techniques from Koun Takamura, who advocated realism in modern sculpture. The kosode floral arabesque pattern is expressed in relief, which is similar to Hayama’s later pottery works. In a sense, it can be said to be one of the origins of the potter Hayama.

What caught my attention was Widow and Orphan (1895) by Shunso Hishida , a genius painter who produced many masterpieces but died at the young age of 36. The expression of a woman who lost her husband in battle is full of tragedy, giving us a premonition of the fate that awaits us in the future.

When the Tokyo School of Fine Arts was established, it seems that historical paintings with historical events and the stories that depict them as the theme were positioned as issues in exploring new Japanese paintings. This work is said to have been drawn based on the military chronicle Taiheiki, but the fact that the theme was chosen to depict the tragedy of those caught up in the war, rather than the heroic picture scrolls of war, dates back to the Sino-Japanese War. The production background at that time was not irrelevant.

In fact, this work was severely criticized by a professor for being a “monster picture”, but it was purchased by Tenshin Okakura, who was the principal of the school. This episode provides a glimpse into the educational policy and philosophy of Tokyo Fine Arts School, which emphasizes what meaning is in painting that work now, and what meaning should be given to it.

The custom of “taking a self-portrait at school upon graduation” was born under the guidance of Seiki Kuroda, who was a professor at the Western painting department established in 1896. I was able to confirm the learning achievements of masters such as Tetsugoro Yorozu, Shigeru Aoki, and Tsuguharu Fujita, whose graduation projects were unexpectedly unsuccessful, and whose talents blossomed after graduation.

When I think that this tradition of excavating the past, which is almost unparalleled in the world, has now formed a large collection that is extremely useful for comprehending the history of modern and contemporary Japanese art, Kuroda I can’t help but feel the magnitude of Seiki’s achievements.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the Tokyo University of the Arts’ purchase system.

In Part 2, “Purchased works selected by each department” , all 12 departments with a purchase system (Japanese painting, oil painting, sculpture, crafts, design, architecture, advanced art expression, art education, cultural property conservation studies, global art practice, A total of 52 purchased works are introduced along with their selection intentions. It highlights the tendency of the works that each department has recognized as particularly excellent.

Looking at the exhibits in each department, the “Japanese painting major” picks up works that particularly express the atmosphere and characteristics of that era, while the “sculpture department” selects female artists selected for purchase works from the era. was taking the drastic selection method of selecting five people in order of the oldest. The selection and commentary of the works are done by the professors of each department from their own perspective, so it’s interesting to see their individuality.

The exhibition of the newest major at Tokyo University of the Arts, the Global Art Practice Major (GAP), which was established in 2016, was particularly interesting. GAP, which explores cross-disciplinary contemporary art practices that transcend existing cultural frameworks, attracts students from around the world with different languages, cultures, and gender backgrounds. There are also students from fields other than the arts.

From the works purchased by GAP, I was able to sense the diversification of research areas and methods of expression at Tokyo University of the Arts in recent years. For example, Sixte Parc Kakinda’s “Intimate Moments/Monologue” (2019) is an installation work of drawings and video.

Confronting the historical fact that uranium mined in a mine in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the artist has roots, was brought to the United States and used in the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he conducted careful research on the victims of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. . It is finished as a work that encourages consideration of the social and economic reasons surrounding the mining of mineral resources and the impact of their use on mankind and nature.

In his comments, the artist expressed his disappointment that, although he considered himself to be a bridge connecting Japan and Congo, his drawing performance in Hiroshima went unnoticed by the Japanese people, saying, “I was an invisible bridge.” rice field. The fact that this work exists as a result of GAP’s education and that it has been purchased seems to have a great significance in that it is an awareness of the racially closed nature of the Japanese people.

Of the works exhibited in Part 2, the one that left the strongest impression on me was Tomomi Maruyama’s One Thousand and One Nights (1992) from the Kogei Department.

In the “Crafts Department,” which consists of seven fields: engraving, hammering, casting, lacquer art, pottery, dyeing, and material modeling (wood and glass), students learn advanced traditional techniques through materials and acquire the ability to further develop them. is intended to be attached.

“Thousand and One Nights” is a work that uses excellent metal hammering techniques to depict the wind that blows through mountains and forests as a god of wind and expresses the human body as a motif. I was fascinated by the dynamism of the body, which seemed to be swimming in the water, and the sense of presence that had a story behind it. According to research, the artist Tomomi Maruyama is currently a professor of metal hammering at the Department of Crafts at Tokyo University of the Arts. I am producing.

According to the commentary, this work seems to have been highly evaluated for the fact that it “expanded the possibilities of expression as a metal work by fusing metal hammering techniques and welding.” As an artist and an educator, he continues to expand the possibilities of expression in his metal-forged works.

The hands-on installation of Tomomi Oka, 1-8-19 Yanagi-cho, Okayama City (2017), a member of the Intermedia Art Department, was also memorable.

Established in 1999, the Intermedia Art Department pursues creative expression using a variety of methods that transcend the framework of specific media. While aiming for activities that respond to changing information and environments, we are exploring the possibilities of art in society.

Tomomi Oka, who was recognized as the top graduate of the Intermedia Art Department, is an up-and-coming artist who uses video and spatial design to create installation works with themes such as personal memories and obsolete customs. 《1-8-19 Yanagi-cho, Okayama City》 is a room-type installation with the theme of my late grandmother’s house, which actually exists in Okayama, and the memories associated with it.

In a dark room filled with objects such as real furniture and small items, the image of the artist’s memory of his grandmother is layered between virtual and real images by combining video projections, reflections, lighting, and several acrylic plates. is launching. There existed a time-axis space that was neither past nor present. The video is about 7 minutes long, but it gives you the satisfaction of watching a movie. The eerily flickering lights and the eerily floating picture of my grandmother have a bit of a Japanese-style horror feel to them, and if you stare at it, you’ll feel as if your consciousness has been sucked into another world.

It is a work that you should definitely see when you visit this exhibition.

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At the venue, there are wonderful works of various eras and various methods of expression, but when you think about it, the fact that most of the artists were in their 20s at the time they were created is pretty amazing. It feels like
Some may have been called masters later on, while others may have left creation after graduating. Nevertheless, it is clear that all the works are a culmination and a mass of passion that the students who were nothing at that time poured everything they learned at the top art university.

There must be many works that do not know how many years it will be before the next time they come out. We hope that you will take this rare opportunity to look back on the history of education at Tokyo University of the Arts and feel the power of works that have not lost their brilliance over the years.

 

“Purchased Exhibition -Geidai Collection Exhibition 2023-” Overview

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Tokyo National Museum

Tofukuji is one of the Zen temples representing Kyoto.

Known as a spot for fresh greenery and autumn foliage, it is a famous temple that has preserved many treasures such as ancient documents, calligraphy, classics, and portraits, even though it was devastated by war.

This exhibition, which will be the first opportunity to introduce the treasures of Tofuku-ji Temple, will bring together excellent works of Zen Buddhism culture, such as "The Five Hundred Arhats" by the painter Myocho.

In this article, we will report on the press preview held the day before the event.

Tofukuji is one of Kyoto's representative Zen temples, and is also known as a spot for fresh greenery and autumn foliage. The name Tofukuji is derived from the fact that each character is taken from Todaiji and Kofukuji in Nara.

Enni, who studied Zen in China, became the founder. Although Tofuku-ji Temple has been in danger of being destroyed by fire many times, it still retains the atmosphere of the Middle Ages and has been handed down to the present day with a number of buildings, and its gigantic temple complex is commonly known as the "Garandzura of Tofuku-ji Temple." .

The special exhibition "Tofuku-ji Temple" traces the history of Tofuk-ji Temple since its foundation, and introduces the full picture of Zen Buddhism culture through exchanges with the continent. It is an exhibition that widely conveys the significance and charm of the exhibition.

Numerous treasures of Tofukuji Temple, where the essence of Zen resides.

The exhibition hall of this exhibition is divided into the first venue and the second venue,

• Chapter 1 The foundation of Tofukuji Temple and Enni
• Chapter 2 Formation and Development of the Seiichi School
• Chapter 3 Legendary painter of Buddhist paintings, Myocho
• Chapter 4 Zen Buddhism Culture and International Exchange
• Chapter 5. Huge temples and Buddhist sculptures

It consists of 5 chapters.

Tofuku-ji Temple was listed as the fourth of Kyoto's five great temples during the period of the Northern and Southern Courts, and the main temple Tofuku-ji Temple and its sub-temple have many characteristics that tell the story of Zen Buddhism culture, such as cultural relics introduced from China, buildings, sculptures, paintings, and calligraphy. Cultural heritage is handed down. There are 7 National Treasures and 98 Important Cultural Properties, totaling 105, including Honzan Tofukuji Temple and sub-temple.
In particular, in Chapters 1 and 2, excellent works of Zen Buddhism art related to Enni and his successor, the Shoichi school, such as "Statue of Mujun Shihan" (National Treasure), which is called "the perfection of Southern Song portraiture", are lined up. increase.

What left a personal impression on me was Enni's grandchild disciple, Tofuku-ji Temple's 15th head priest Koseki Shiren (1278-1346 ) . Is it a handwriting representing the character for "tiger" or a picture of a sitting tiger? It's as if you're asking the person watching this , "What do you think you are?"

Myocho's Drawing Skills, the Legendary Painter of Buddhist Paintings

The highlight of this exhibition is the monumental masterpiece "The 500 Arhats" by Myocho, a painter of Buddhist images who is revered as a "master of painting." This work, which will be exhibited for the first time after restoration, is a representative work of the young Myocho, in which ink and rich colors are in perfect harmony. Two widths are still in existence at the Nezu Museum in Tokyo. This exhibition will be a valuable opportunity to reveal the whole picture for the first time (exhibition period varies depending on the width).
Next to it is a comic that explains the contents in a unique way, which is also a point that shows the playfulness unique to Tohaku.

Also on display is " Bodhidharma and Eto Tetsukakuzu," known as a masterpiece of Mingcho's maturity period. The symmetrical beauty of the composition, the intricate depiction of shadows, and the bright and relaxed brush strokes that anticipate Edo paintings… It is said to be a copy of a masterpiece of Chinese painting, but it is a masterpiece that allows you to enjoy Meicho's exceptional drawing power and originality.

Enveloped in the overwhelming power of a giant cathedral

Chapter 5 is where you can experience the actual “garan mask of Tofukuji Temple”. You will be overwhelmed by the scale and majesty of the extra-large Buddha sculptures that are suitable for a huge temple.

The standing statue of Tamonten, which will be unveiled for the first time after the restoration, and the standing statues of Kasho and Anan, both of which are important cultural properties, as well as the hand of Buddha, which boasts a gigantic 2-meter hand. Also pay attention. It is a valuable remains that proves the enormous size of the former principal image that disappeared.

The exhibition will be held until May 7th (Sun). Experience the vivid colors of Zen Buddhism culture and the overwhelming power of a huge temple at the venue.

Overview of the event

exhibition period	March 7 (Tue) – May 7 (Sun), 2023 *Exhibits may be changed during the exhibition
venue	Tokyo National Museum Heiseikan (Ueno Park)
Opening hours	9:30-17:00 (admission until 30 minutes before closing)
closing day	Monday *Open on March 27 (Mon) and May 1 (Mon)
viewing fee	General 2,100 yen University student 1,300 yen High school students ¥900 *Advance reservations are not required for this exhibition. If it is crowded, you may have to wait to enter. *You may have to wait to enter when it is crowded. ※Junior high school students and younger, people with disabilities and one caregiver are free of charge. Please show your student ID card, disability certificate, etc. when entering the building. * With this exhibition admission ticket, you can also see the general cultural exhibition only on the day of viewing. (Note) For details, please check the ticket information page on the official website of the exhibition.
Exhibition official website	https://tofukuji2023.jp/

*The content of the article is as of the time of the interview. It may differ from the latest information, so please check the official website of the exhibition for details. It is also possible that the works mentioned in this article have already been exhibited.

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Shitamachi Customs Museum

The Shitamachi Museum of Taito Ward stands on the banks of Shinobazu Pond in Ueno, Tokyo.

Since its opening in 1980 to convey the good old downtown Tokyo culture to future generations, the museum has entertained many visitors, but from April 1st, 2023, the facility will undergo a large-scale renovation. Did you know that the museum will be closed until the end of 2024 (date undecided) due to construction work ?

After the renovation, some of the current exhibits will no longer be visible, so I feel hopeful and sad at the same time.

Therefore, this time, I interviewed the inside of the museum to introduce the appearance of the Shitamachi Museum, which has been loved for about 42 years.

The final special exhibition, “Children of the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras -The world of children in the downtown area spelled out with materials-” is also mentioned in the latter half of the article, so be sure to visit during the remaining one month of business. please give me.

Shitamachi Museum of Customs Born from the Voices of Residents

It was destroyed by fire during the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923 (1923) and World War II in 1945 (Showa 20), and was redeveloped in 1964 (Showa 39) to host the Tokyo Olympics. The streets and culture of the good old downtown area disappeared rapidly, and the lives of the common people changed completely.

Around the 40th year of the Showa era (1965), people who loved shitamachi culture began to voice their concerns about this situation, and the idea of establishing a museum to pass on the memories of shitamachi to the next generation was born. And on October 1, 1980, the Shitamachi Museum was finally opened.

In the exhibition room on the 1st floor, merchant houses, tenement houses, wells, etc. are reproduced in almost life-size as a downtown scenery of the Taisho era before the Great Kanto Earthquake (about 100 years ago) . In the exhibition room on the 2nd floor, we introduce materials and toys related to the history of the downtown area centering on Taito Ward.

The charm of the exhibition is that it is an experience-based content, where you can not only appreciate it, but also go up to the actual recreated tatami room and touch the exhibits (*). According to Mr. Honda, a researcher at the museum , this so-called hands-on exhibition method is now being used in various museums, but the Shitamachi Museum is actually the pioneer.

(*Due to the corona crisis, contact with the exhibits is prohibited, with the exception of some)

Since the museum was opened in response to a request from the private sector, it can be said that many of the items in its collection are donated items collected from inside and outside Taito Ward . You can enjoy a more realistic downtown atmosphere with furniture and daily necessities that are actually in your home.

It has been visited by more than 3 million people so far, and recently it has become a popular spot among young people seeking a retro atmosphere and foreigners visiting for sightseeing.

Travel back in time to the Taisho era 100 years ago

The first thing that catches your eye on the first floor is the bright red hexagonal automatic telephone (later renamed public telephone) box .
In 1900, Japan’s first automatic telephone appeared at Ueno Station and Shimbashi Station in Tokyo. At the museum, a restored box-type automatic telephone that was used from 1910 is on display.

The bright red color of the automatic telephone booth must have looked beautiful in the downtown area.

The phone body inside was actually used. The handset is split, not a dial type, but a type that first calls the operator and connects to the other party’s phone.

Nowadays, we rarely see push-button public phones, let alone dial-type ones, but I felt a sense of history because they were antiques from even before that. The position of the mouthpiece is very low, and it seems to be difficult for tall people to bend down to speak. It is an exhibition that makes you imagine what the average height of Japanese people was at that time.

This is a reproduction of the setting of a large merchant house facing the main street, the storefront of a Hanao (*) manufacturing wholesaler . You can see traditional merchant house architecture such as “dashigeta-zukuri” and “agedo” that have been handed down since the Edo period.

(*According to the notation of the exhibition commentary at the Shitamachi Museum, it is a flower thong instead of a thong.)

In the back of the workshop, colorful thongs hang down. At that time, people usually thought of footwear as clogs and zori, and thongs were a necessity in daily life. According to the season and kimono, they enjoyed changing the fashion by changing the materials, shapes and patterns that were in fashion at that time.

In terms of rare exhibits, there is a “Yojingo” hanging above the workshop. It’s like a present-day emergency bag.

“In the old Edo area, there were many floods, so in order to avoid getting wet, we set up a basket and threw all the important things in it. (Mr. Honda)

Explanation sheets are distributed for all of the exhibits, but there are probably many items that are unfamiliar to those of us who live in the present age, such as caution baskets. First of all, it might be interesting to go around the museum while guessing, “What will that tool be used for?”

This is a counter and business negotiation space. It is said that merchants always had a register (a place for writing accounts and paying bills), and only selected people such as the owner and the clerk were allowed to enter through the lattice of the register as a barrier. . Of course, you can freely enter the reproduction exhibition. There were abacuses, “money boxes,” which were safes at the time, and “mark boxes,” which were used to store personal seals.

“Regarding these reenactment exhibitions, there are documents that tell us that when the museum opened, the director and staff of the time stayed overnight to see what kind of things would be useful and where they would be useful, and then decide on the layout based on actual experience. is right-handed (back then, it was normal for left-handed people to be corrected), so there is a lot of attention to detail, such as arranging things so that you can grab things with your right hand.” (Mr. Honda)

Mr. Honda’s story tells us that the role of the museum was to convey the real life of the time, rather than the presentation of the exhibits.

In front of the merchant house, there are also rickshaws , which were invented in Asakusa and were a representative means of transportation before the spread of automobiles, and hakoguruma, which were indispensable for the delivery business, and are lively. It created a downtown atmosphere.

Living in a tenement house that nurtures the warmth of downtown hospitality

Across from the merchant’s house, there is a re-creation of tenement houses, which are familiar from period dramas, surrounded by narrow alleys.

The time of the interview was “Hatsuuma” (the first day of the horse in February). The Hatsuuma festival is held every year at Inari shrines across Japan to pray for a bountiful harvest. Since there is also a small Inari shrine in the same building, the tenement house was decorated with Jiguchi lanterns, which had been hung in the city during the Hatsuuma festival since the Edo period.

Jiguchi is a play on puns based on proverbs and sayings that were popular in the Edo period. Jiguchi lanterns were created by attaching caricatures to Jiguchi lanterns, and they entertained the people who gathered for the Hatsuuma festival.

In this way, the museum welcomes visitors with delicate productions that match the changing seasons, such as New Year decorations and Tanabata decorations. Decorations are also fun on special occasions, and can be a means of carrying gen and offering prayers to the gods and buddhas. It’s a smart device that allows you to experience the spirituality of the people of the time and the scenery of the four seasons in the downtown area.

By the way, before it was forbidden to touch the exhibits due to the corona disaster, it seems that they secretly prepared small things that only people who noticed, such as changing clothes in the drawer, could enjoy.

In the one-storied nagaya, which was common before the Great Kanto Earthquake, a candy store and a dokoya are reproduced.

Dagashi shops, which also sold toys such as spinning tops and marbles, were social gathering places for children. The kitchen and tatami room are also built in the setting that it is open in a part of the residence.

Regarding the infrastructure of the downtown area at that time, although electricity was available, electrical appliances were not widespread, and water and gas were not common. Such a situation is also transmitted from the fact that there was a water bottle in the kitchen to store water drawn from the well shared by the residents.

A wooden sink can be seen under the water jar, and a workshop like this where you build a sink near the floor and squat down to cook is called a “sit nagashi.” I was surprised to learn that this was also common in the Taisho era before the earthquake. This arrangement is unthinkable now.

Dotsuboya is a shop that makes and repairs copper products such as pots and kettles, as well as kettles. Various craftsmen lived in the downtown area, but the craftsmen of Doutsuboya were indispensable to people’s lives in an era when people used things carefully while repairing them.

On the wall of the workshop, a kind of Shinto altar, called “Kojindana”, which enshrines the god of fire, is made.

“Dotsuboya is a profession that uses fire, but at that time it was not possible to call a fire engine with a single phone call, so I think the fear of fire was much stronger than it is now. I would like to convey that it was an era when there were a great many people who were deeply religious.” (Mr. Honda)

Looking back, I found a Shinto altar at the candy shop I mentioned earlier. It is said that in the past, every household and every merchant house had a Shinto altar, so prayers to the gods and buddhas must have been an essential part of daily life.

The Inari shrine built in the back of the row house is also an exhibit that shows the depth of devotion.

Inari was enshrined as a guardian deity of land and mansions in the Edo period, and it is said that it was always built in each tenement house. As a result, many Inari shrines still exist today in the downtown area.

A house separated by a single thin wall. For those of us who live in modern times, a tenement house is a living space in which the concept of privacy is incomparably weaker than condominiums and apartments. Residents will inevitably become friendly with each other, and I think it was more necessary than ever to be considerate of not causing trouble to others.
The kindness of the people in downtown may have been formed from such a lifestyle.

The merchant house and row house in the exhibition room on the first floor were built when the museum opened in 1980, so they are over 40 years old. The floors and pillars, which must have been brand new when the museum first opened, had been damaged by people coming in and out almost every day for many years.

Everyone’s longing? You can also take a commemorative photo while sitting on the watch stand of the sento.

On the second floor, as a permanent exhibition, people’s lives in the 1950s are reproduced. The kitchen and living room of a downtown apartment. Starting with Toshiba’s black-and-white TV that uses vacuum tubes, and Japan’s first automatic electric rice cooker, there are a number of high-end home appliances of the time, so you might imagine a wealthy home.

Furnishings such as chabudai and chests of drawers, which must have been passed down from before the war, coexist with the latest home appliances. One can imagine the humble desire to keep using things that can be used for a long time, as well as the desire for convenience and comfort. . This kind of lifestyle gradually disappeared after the 1960s, and we entered an era of mass consumption. Behind the nostalgia, you can also understand the sense of crisis of those who thought about preserving the downtown culture, which was the impetus for the establishment of the museum.

Next to it, the watch stand that was actually used at the public bath “Kingyoyu”, which operated in Taito Ward from 1950 (1950) to 1986 (1986), was placed almost exactly as it was. . It is said to be the museum’s most popular photo spot because it is the museum’s largest donation and you can actually sit on it.

“Especially, men from the Taisho to Showa generations may have longed for it since long ago, and they seemed to really enjoy the bandai experience, and they really wanted to sit down. Many of them don’t seem to know what a bandai is, but when they see the exhibition, they say, ‘This is what a bandai is like’ and ‘I like it’. I see it… It seems that the exhibition, not just this bandai, is a catalyst for conversation among visitors.” (Mr. Honda)

It is not a commentary, not a curator, but an ordinary person explains the exhibits smoothly. One of the charms of the museum is that you can meet such scenes.

Special exhibition “Meiji, Taisho, Showa Children” is being held (until March 31, 2023)

In the exhibition room on the 2nd floor, in addition to the reproduced exhibition of the Showa apartment and the watch stand of the public bath, we usually display items related to the downtown area centered on Taito Ward and materials related to annual events. However, on this day , the last special exhibition before the renewal, “Children of the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa eras -The world of children in the downtown area spelled out with materials-” was being held. (Viewing fee is included in admission fee)

This exhibition focuses on the daily lives of children living in the downtown area from the Meiji to Showa eras, and introduces the games and rituals that children went through during the process of growing up, mainly from the materials held by the museum. what to do.

In particular, the materials related to children’s games are very rich, and the exhibits were roughly divided into “outdoor games” such as beigoma and menko, and “home games” such as marbles and pretend play.

Mr. Honda’s recommendation is the miniature hand tools sold from the Meiji to Taisho eras. The point is that it is made from the same materials as the real thing, such as wood, bamboo, tinplate, and ceramics. Even adults were thrilled by its sophistication.

Among the displays of materials related to children’s growth ceremonies such as Shichi-go-san and Okuizome, Mr. Honda says he wants people to pay particular attention to the “Semoncho” .

Semonjo is a sample book of “Semamori” which is sewn with colored thread on the back of one-piece maternity clothes worn by children from 0 to 2 years old.

A typical kimono has a seam in the center of the back, and it has been thought that the seam is regarded as an “eye” and has the effect of protecting the body from disasters coming from the back. However, since there is no seam on the back of the single-piece maternity clothes, it is said that the “eyes” called semamori were embroidered with colored threads to ward off evil. It is said that what is on display is a semamori from the Showa period, and that each design on the semamori has a meaning.

Mr. Honda says, “I would be happy if the exhibition of ceremonies related to the growth of children conveyed the hearts and minds of parents who have tried to protect their children in various ways.”

In addition, as a plan to be held at the same time as the special exhibition, in order to look back on the 42-year history of the museum, posters and flyers of the planned exhibitions and special exhibitions that have been held so far, as well as museum goods that are not available now. .

What will happen to the Shitamachi Museum after the renewal?

We asked Mr. Honda about the renovated Shitamachi Museum.

“We are still working out the details, but instead of repairing or refurbishing the current exhibition, we plan to completely change the impression for a new era. It’s planned (currently the exhibition is up to the 2nd floor), so I wonder if I can show you a completely different view. Please don’t worry about that.” (Mr. Honda)

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Around Ueno Station, where the Shitamachi Museum is located, there are many facilities where you can appreciate modern and contemporary works of art with high academic value. Among them, the existence of the museum, which has honestly continued for 42 years with exhibits that allow you to feel the signs of people who used to live in the downtown area, is a special place not only for local residents but also for people living in the present age. I feel like I’m taking my place.

The Shitamachi Museum, which not only conveys shitamachi culture to future generations, but also serves as a bridge between generations who have experienced the culture in real life and generations who do not know it, will begin preparations for a new life on April 1, 2023. from day. Whether you have ever been to the museum or not, please visit it once before the renovation work to keep it in your memory.

Shitamachi Museum Overview

location	2-1 Ueno Park, Taito City 5 minute walk from JR Ueno Station Shinobazu Exit
Opening hours	9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Admission until 4:00 p.m.)
closing day	Mondays (or the following weekday if it falls on a public holiday), December 29th to January 3rd, special arrangement periods, etc.
Admission fee	General 300 yen (200 yen), Elementary, junior high and high school students 100 yen (50 yen) *Prices in parentheses are for groups of 20 or more. *Every Saturday, elementary and junior high school students living in or attending school in Taito Ward and their guardians are free to enter.
telephone number	03-3823-7451
Official site	https://www.taitocity.net/zaidan/shitamachi/

*The content of the article is as of the date of the interview (February 3, 2023). Please check the official website for the latest information.

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Taito Ward Calligraphy Museum

A legendary calligrapher who was active in China about 1700 years ago and was later revered as a “sage of calligraphy.” Wang Xizhi Ogishi (303-361, heresy) and his most famous work, “ Ranting order Renteijo The exhibition “Wang Xizhi and Rantei Cho” , which focuses on ” , is being held at the Taito Ward Calligraphy Museum.

Date: January 31 (Tue) to April 23 (Sun), 2023 * During the period, the exhibition will be changed according to the following schedule. First term: January 31 (Tue) – March 12 (Sun) Second term: March 14 (Tue) – April 23 (Sun) * Click here for the list of exhibited works *This exhibition is a joint project with the Tokyo National Museum. *The images posted were taken with special permission.

 

The most famous calligrapher, but there is no true trace? About Wang Xizhi

In the history of China, calligraphy flourished most during the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the 4th century, when an elegant aristocratic society was formed. Wang Xizhi appeared at a time when the aristocrats, who were striving to achieve the ultimate in elegance in all aspects of their daily lives, began to add artistry and criticality to calligraphy, which had been all about practicality.

Wang Xizhi refined cursive, cursive, and square script, which were transitional calligraphy styles at the time, and made great strides in artistry while incorporating his own emotions into calligraphic expression. The advanced new style of calligraphy with universal beauty that he acquired became the source of calligraphic norms even in Japan, where Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy was introduced in the Nara period, and to this day it is synonymous with nosho. It is

“Rantei Chou” (353) is such a representative work of Wang Xizhi, and a masterpiece that shines brilliantly in history. This is a draft of the preface of a collection of poems written in March of the 9th year of Yonghe (353), written at a banquet held by Wang Xizhi inviting 41 celebrities in the scenic land of Lanting in Guiji (Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province). .

Wang Xizhi improvised while intoxicated with a draft of Ranteijo, written in beautiful cursive script, full of emotional sentiments about the pleasures of parties and the ephemerality of life. Anecdotally, no matter how many times he tried to make a clean copy, it never turned out better than the draft. Even now, it is treated as a compulsory work for people who are trying to learn gyosho.

Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy, including “Ranteijo”, was highly valued during his lifetime and was the object of collection among the aristocrats, but in fact, it seems that not a single true copy has survived.

In addition to being gradually lost due to wars and natural disasters, 300 years after the death of Wang Xizhi, the Tang dynasty who loved his calligraphy Taejong so bad The main reason is that the emperor (598-649) thoroughly collected them and buried them together with the Ranteijo when he passed away. However, Emperor Taizong commissioned excellent calligraphers to make “copies” such as copies and rubbed copies of works such as “Lanting Cho” and gave them to his subjects, and Wang Xizhi’s advanced calligraphy was passed down to future generations. It’s decided.

The special exhibition “Wang Xizhi and Rantei Cho” was planned to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the collaborative project between the Tokyo National Museum and the Calligraphy Museum. Paintings and calligraphy that show the influence of these works are exhibited in both museums.

“Ranteijo” appeared one after another. Which is the essence of Wang Xizhi?

The major feature of the exhibition is that you can compare more than 10 types of “Ranteicho” in the first half and the second half.

“Ranteijo” has been duplicated and duplicated. For this reason, the strength, speed, and speed of the characters are all subtly different, and the “Ranteijo” of various histories has been handed down, reflecting the skill of the people involved in the reproduction and the image they had of Wang Xizhi.

In the first half of the exhibition, we were able to appreciate 《Sadatake Honran-tei Chorus》 Hanju ship book Kanju Senbon ―》《Shinryu Honran Tei Introduction― Yamamoto Kakuzan Yamamoto Kyoto Former Collection―》《 Yui Eisho Honrantei-jo Wenzhi Wang home Former Collection―》《 Senwa Naifu Sennanaifu Former Zorantei Cho” , etc. By the way, the phrases such as “XX book” in the title of the work are used to distinguish it from other “Ranteijo”, such as the land where the stone that was the basis of the rubbing was found and the unique characteristics of the work.

《Jingu Honran Teijo – Hanjusenbon》 has a subdued character and an overall cool feel. When Emperor Taizong ordered his retainers to copy the “Rantei Cho”, the one who was the best was counted as one of the “three great masters of the early Tang”. ouyang Ouyoujun (557-641). This work is said to be a rubbed copy from the Song Dynasty, which is particularly old among the many “Seibubon” lineages.

The next thing that caught my eye was “Shinryu Honran Tei Chou – Formerly owned by Yamamoto Kakuzan -“ . The “Shinryu book” is named after the fact that the beginning and end of the text are half-stamped with the name of the Tang dynasty era, “Shenryu.” The “Shinryu-bon” is characterized by its lively and colorful characters compared to others, and it is often featured in textbooks because it is easy to read and learn.

However, according to Mr. Nakamura, the museum’s chief researcher, the character style of the Shenlong version reflects the refined aesthetics of the Tang dynasty. If so, it should be a little more simple.” Certainly, when I looked at the same work compared to others, I felt that the splashes and harassments were a little exaggerated.

Even in the same system, the character appearance is quite different and it is worth seeing. There seems to be various backgrounds, such as whether the person who duplicated it unconsciously brought out his own color, or whether he changed it intentionally to appeal to the people of the time. This is also a personality that was born because there is no true trace of “Ranteicho” and it is impossible to match the answers.

In addition to “Lanteicho”, there are several other works by Wang Xizhi (although they are reproductions) on display at the same exhibition, so even those who are not familiar with calligraphy will wonder, “Which Ranteicho still retains traces of Wang Xizhi?” You can enjoy it while considering it.

Also, although it goes without saying, there is something to be learned from watching Ranteijo on its own. For example, the kanji character ‘之’ appears frequently in ‘Ranteijo’, and I was surprised to find that each was written in a unique style and style.

I don’t know much about calligraphy, so I vaguely imagine that a person who is good at calligraphy has the best character shape perfected in themselves and always outputs that character shape without blurring. was However, in “Ranteijo”, “之” is written differently depending on the context. When viewing the work while reading the Japanese translation of “Ranteijo” in the exhibition room, one realizes that the charm of this work lies not only in the scenery, but also in the rich power of expression that conveys the artist’s emotions. I felt that I could understand part of the greatness of Wang Xizhi, who created the basics of calligraphy art.

In addition to the “Lanting Preface, ” several “Seventeen Chapters,” a collection of 29 letters written in cursive by Wang Xizhi, are also on display in the first half and second half.

“At first glance, it’s a plain work. The content of the writing conveys a feeling of poor health, but the fact that it’s written in beautiful characters, even though it’s said to be in poor health, gives the impression of Wang Xizhi. It’s nice, but the spacing and size between the characters is also a highlight.Just like there are main characters and supporting characters in a drama, there are characters that look good in calligraphy as well, and there are characters that look gorgeous, such as those with harai on the left and right. Please pay attention to the harmony of the entire calligraphy that has been completed.” (Mr. Nakamura)

Creating works with Wang Xizhi font? The popularity of Wang Xizhi is also in Japan…

The exhibition will also display calligraphy from before, during, and after the appearance of Wang Xizhi. In subsequent works, we can see how great the influence of Wang Xizhi was.

A master of regular calligraphy who was active from the end of the Later Han dynasty to the Wei dynasty of the Three Kingdoms, and was said to be admired by Wang Xizhi. shong show ( 151-230 ) recommendation Senkicho Hail ( Shinsho Saijo new year -Higobon-)” is “the first step in the development of calligraphy from slave script to regular script over a long period of time,” says Mr. Nakamura. There are remnants of clerical writing, and primitive characters that are slightly short and wide can be seen.

Wang Xizhi’s << yellow court sutra Kōteikyo 》 and << Filial Lady Cao’e Monument Kojo sogahi 》 (Original site: Eastern Jin Dynasty, 2nd year of Xiuping (358) / Displayed for the entire period). Compared to Sho’s calligraphy, it was noticeably more sophisticated, and I felt that he had grown taller and had a natural character style and brushwork that closely followed the movement of humans writing letters with a brush. I would like you to actually compare them.

Wang Xizhi’s works of about the same period include Michiyuki Hannya Sutra Vol . Handwriting before the Tang dynasty is very valuable. You can see the true appearance of the calligraphy in the era when Wang Xizhi lived.

The running calligraphy of Emperor Taizong of Tang, the central figure in the myth of Wang Xizhi Jin Temple inscription Shinshimei 》 was also there. It’s comfortable to write with a solid and dignified style like an emperor.

“A layman tends to think that if you write in cursive or cursive script by connecting lines to create a sense of speed, the calligraphy of Emperor Taizong was cut off on purpose. If you add too much leeway, the characters will look sloppy, but for the character “Moon”, for example, the lines facing each other between the first and second strokes are tightened. I hope you will enjoy that sense of balance.” (Mr. Nakamura)

As an indication of the popularity of Wang Xizhi after the Tang Dynasty, Holy Order of Kings Shuuou Shogyoujo ” and “Kofuku-ji Temple Cut Monument” (Wang Xizhi / Tang Dynasty, Kaiyuan 9 (721)) are interesting. It is said that it is a rubbed copy made from a stone monument in which each character is collected from Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy and made into sentences as if it were written by Wang Xizhi. The thickness of the lines in “Shu-o Sei Kyojo” has a collage-like atmosphere, but “Kofuku-ji Temple” is quite skillfully harmonized as a whole.

A complete collection of popular Chinese calligraphy created in the Song dynasty . Junkakakucho Junkakujo ― heavy snow Kyousetsu The book—” also contained Wang Xizhi’s calligraphy as a matter of course. According to the story, out of the 10 volumes, Wang Xizhi is introduced in volumes 6-8, and his son Wang Xianzhi is introduced in volumes 9-10. understand. When I came this far, I laughed at the size of the influence.

At the end of the exhibition, we introduced how Wang Xizhi was received in Japan. In the Heian period, Kukai and Ono Dofu, who learned from the copies of Wang Xizhi brought back by the envoys to Tang Dynasty, rose to prominence, and after their success, Japanese-style calligraphy called Kokufu Bunka and Wayo was established. In the Edo period, the trend toward respect for Wang Xizhi became stronger due to the popularity of Tang-style calligraphy, and at the end of the Edo period, a large number of Wang Xizhi calligraphy pamphlets (rubbed copies arranged in the form of calligraphy) began to reach Japan. It seems that it has always had an overwhelming presence not only in China but also in the history of Japanese calligraphy.

Among Japanese works, Rantei Preface by Gochiku Nakabayashi (1827-1913), a great master in the Meiji period, caught my eye. It is a work that I finished the sentences of “Ranteijo” in my own style, and the richness of the variation of the character line is not something you see very often.

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Until now, when I looked at the calligraphy of Wang Xizhi, I couldn’t understand what I should pay attention to, saying, “It’s certainly beautiful, but it’s kind of ordinary.” However, after visiting the exhibition, I reconsidered that the fact that I felt “normal” may be proof that people continue to be Wang Xizhi’s followers even after 1,700 years. .

For a limited time only, the exhibition will feature three works related to the “Seisetsu New Book,” a collection of gossip from the time Wang Xizhi lived, written during the Tang Dynasty, when the most beautiful regular script in China was written. Appears in All of them are national treasures written by hand.

From January 31 to March 12 , Sesetsu Shinsho Vol.
From February 28th to March 26th , 《Seisetsu Shinsho Vol.
From March 28 to April 23 , Sesetsu Shinsho Vol.
Don’t miss this rare opportunity.

The Tokyo National Museum, which has joint exhibitions, is within walking distance, so please visit both museums.

 

■ Overview of the special exhibition “Wang Xizhi and Lanting”

exhibition period	January 31 (Tue) – April 23 (Sun), 2023 * During the period, the exhibition will be changed according to the following schedule. First term: January 31 (Tue) – March 12 (Sun) Second term: March 14 (Tue) – April 23 (Sun)
venue	Taito Ward Calligraphy Museum
Opening hours	9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Admission until 4:00 p.m.)
closing day	Mondays (or the following weekday if it falls on a public holiday), special organizing periods, etc.
Admission fee	General 500 yen Elementary, junior high and high school students 250 yen *Admission is free for those with a disability certificate, rehabilitation certificate, mental disability certificate, or specific disease medical care recipient certificate and their caregivers. *Every Saturday, elementary and junior high school students living or attending school in Taito Ward and their guardians are free of charge. For other details, please check the official website.
Taito Ward Calligraphy Museum Official Site	https://www.taitocity.net/zaidan/shodou/
List of exhibited works	https://www.taitocity.net/zaidan/shodou/wp-content/uploads/sites/7/2023/02/kikakuten_20230131.pdf

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Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum

 

A large-scale exhibition of Egon Schiele (1890-1918), one of the most important painters representing fin- de-siècle Vienna, will be held on January 26, 2023 in Ueno, Tokyo. It opened at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.

A retrospective exhibition of the genius Egon Schiele, who died young, for the first time in about 30 years in Tokyo

From the end of the 19th century to the beginning of the 20th century, Egon Schiele was a painter who was brilliantly active in Vienna, which was experiencing a period of rare artistic maturity. .

In 1906, Schiele, who showed glimpses of painting sense from an early age, entered the Vienna Academy of Fine Arts as a special admission at the age of 16, the youngest in the school year. In the following year, he was discovered by Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), another representative painter of fin-de-siècle Viennese art, and was greatly influenced by him.

In 1909, he voluntarily withdrew from the conservative system of the academy and formed the “New Artist Group” with friends. He continued to produce innovative works, and in 1918 he was successful at the 49th Vienna Secession Exhibition, but in the same year he died of the Spanish flu at the age of 28.

His scandalous creative activities, which were unconstrained by the common sense of the time, were criticized, and he was arrested. Schiele’s works, which vividly depict the spirituality, life and death, and sex of the world, continue to fascinate people even today.

“Leopold Museum Egon Schiele Exhibition: A Young Genius Born in Vienna” has a world-class collection of Schiele’s works. A retrospective exhibition that looks back on Schiele’s life and work through a total of 50 paintings and drawings.

65 works by contemporary painters such as Klimt, Moser, and Kokoschka are also introduced.

Self-Portrait with Hozuki Fruit, a representative work by Schiele, who continued to explore the inner world of human beings, is coming to Japan!

I would like to introduce some of the exhibited works.

The centerpiece of this exhibition is Self-Portrait with Hozuki (1912), which Schiele made when he was 22 years old. Schiele’s most famous self-portrait is synonymous.

The tension created by the composition of the cherry blossom vines and the slanting posture of the characters creates a tense atmosphere. The contrast between the white background, the clothes, the hair, the black eyes, and the red of the cherry blossoms creates a dignified beauty, while the pale face is boldly arranged with colors such as red and green, giving it a strange liveliness. reflected.

Is the gaze directed at the viewer a provocation or a rejection? Her quiet mouth gives the impression of being both snobbish and swallowing words, and she expresses clearly narcissism and unstable emotional fluctuations with naive sensitivity.

Around 1910, Schiele broke away from the influence of his teacher Klimt and established a one-of-a-kind expressionist style characterized by unstable forms, expressive line drawings, and vivid colors. This work is a masterpiece of the time when his painting style reached maturity.

If you look closely, you’ll notice that the cropping and poses in this work are common in modern “selfie” culture.

According to the director of the Leopold Museum, more and more young people are coming to see Schiele’s works at the Leopold Museum. For those who express themselves through self-portraits, Schiele’s self-portraits, in which he visually puts into practice his thoughts on the “ego,” such as human identity, sexuality, and spirituality, while exposing the body and mind, are a striking source of inspiration. It may be something. In that sense, Schiele can be said to be an extremely modern painter.

Self-Portrait with Cherry Blossoms is paired with Portrait of Valli (1912), which is not shown in this exhibition but is modeled on the woman who was Schiele’s lover and muse at the time. It is made to be, so if you don’t know it, please check it out.

Death was familiar to Schiele from an early age, such as the repeated stillbirths and premature deaths of his siblings, and the death of his beloved father when he was 14. I had a view of life and death. “Death” is an important theme in Schiele’s paintings, and there are many works that incorporate the disturbing signs of death.

The Person Contemplating Oneself II (Death and Man) (1911) is a work in which Schiele directly expresses “death”. Schiele’s self-portraits are often depicted as two people, and in this work as well, the painter himself, with his eyes closed as if indulging in meditation, is surrounded by a presence that looks like a god of death or a ghost. increase. It feels as if he is impatient with the approaching fate of death, and as if he has already accepted his fate, but the third person’s hand extending from below strengthens the eerie impression.

According to the exhibition commentary, this work attempts self-reflection using the image of division. As you can see from Self-Portrait with Hozuki Berries, most of Schiele’s self-portraits have no background. Going against Klimt’s decorative painting style, it suggests that Schiele’s interest is directed toward thorough self-exploration and self-introspection, single-mindedly inward.

Schiele also repeatedly uses the motif of mother and child. In general, mother and child images are associated with love and peace, but Schiele’s Mother and Child (1912) and Mother and Two Children II (1915) both depict death rather than love and peace. emphasizing unrest such as fear, sadness, and despair. Not only the skillful expression, but also the intense brushwork and gloomy colors, I felt a thrilling dreadfulness that made me take a step back. It can be said that it is a development typical of Schiele that breaks the traditional image of mother and child.

Another must-see is the drawing of a nude woman, where you can enjoy Schiele’s exceptional drawing ability and line expression.

For Schiele, who sought to depict “light emanating from all bodies” and depicted radical “sex” that did not sublimate aesthetically, the female nude was also an extremely important motif. Traditionally, nudes are drawn in standing or lying poses, but many of Schiele’s nudes are characterized by a wide variety of poses, such as holding the knees, crouching, and extreme twists.

Their bodies are sometimes in a state of extreme agony, but it is strange how beautiful and vivid it looks. There is no doubt that the certainty of Schiele’s lines is supported by his relentless exploration of physicality, such as bending his own body to the limit.

The screen composition, which denies spatiality by eliminating the floor and the background and leaving blank spaces around the characters, is also interesting.

The drawings in later years especially caught my eye. The expressive contour lines and slight gradation of black chalk are used to explore the model, and the unwavering lines and silhouette are truly beautiful. In spite of the fact that he sketches the complicated poses with the minimum level of brushwork, such as in Reclining Girl with a Ribbon (1918), the level of perfection is so high that it can be called a work of art by itself. is.

Schiele was the youngest student in the school and was able to enter the academy as a special admission.

Stylized Flowers in Front of a Decorative Background (1908) and earlier Academy Several early works, such as the period, before Schiele established his own style of painting, were also introduced. You can closely follow the artist’s journey to emerge, and how he continued to change his style with an obsessive inquisitive mind even after establishing his style.

Painters such as Klimt and Moser who colored the art of Vienna at the end of the century

As mentioned above, this exhibition focuses mainly on Schiele’s works, but also Klimt , Schiele’s teacher, as well as Koloman Moser (1868-1918), who founded the Vienna Secession with Klimt and specializes in landscape painting and graphic art. ), Richard Gerstl (1883-1908), who is positioned as the first painter of Austrian Expressionism and has been re-evaluated in recent years, and Oskar Kokoschka (1886-1980), a master of Viennese Expressionism like Schiele. A collection of works by Viennese painters associated with Schiele. We can see the background of how Schiele stood out in the flow of the Golden Age of Viennese art.

The modernity of Schiele’s work remains intact even after 100 years.

Once again, this exhibition is a very valuable opportunity to bring together 50 works by Egon Schiele, a genius painter who died young. Please come and experience Schiele’s trembling, provocative and delicate sensibilities, as well as the creative energy that filled Vienna at the turn of the century.

Outline of “Leopold Museum Egon Schiele Exhibition Young Genius Born in Vienna”

exhibition period	Thursday, January 26, 2023 – Sunday, April 9, 2023 *Dates are subject to change.
venue	Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum (Ueno Park, Tokyo)
Opening hours	9:30-17:30, until 20:00 on Fridays (last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Closed day	Monday
viewing fee	[Date and time reservation system] General 2,200 yen, University/vocational school students 1,300 yen, 65 and over 1,500 yen, weekday pair discount 3,600 yen*For details, please check the ticket page on the official website ⇒ https://www.egonschiele2023.jp/ticket.html
organizer	Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture, Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, The Asahi Shimbun, Fuji Television Network, Inc.
patronage	Austrian Embassy, Austrian Cultural Forum Tokyo
inquiry	Hello Dial 050-5541-8600 (All day/9:00-20:00)
Exhibition official website	https://www.egonschiele2023.jp

*The content of the article is as of the interview date (January 25, 2023). For the latest information, please check the official website of the exhibition.

 

Article provided by: kokosil Ueno

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