Making modern Japanese-style painting : Kano Hōgai and the search for images

The Western discovery of Japanese paintings at nineteenth-century world’s fairs and export shops catapulted Japanese art to new levels of international popularity. With that popularity, however, came criticism, as Western writers began to lament a perceived end to pure Japanese art and a rise in westernized cultural hybrids. The Japanese response: nihonga , a traditional style of painting that reframed existing techniques to distinguish them from Western artistic conventions. Making Modern Japanese-Style Painting explores the visual characteristics and social functions of nihonga and traces its relationship to the past, its viewers, and emerging notions of the modern Japanese state. Chelsea Foxwell sheds light on interlinked trends in Japanese nationalist discourse, government art policy, American and European commentary on Japanese art, and the demands of export. The seminal artist Kano Hogai (1828–88) is one telling example: originally a painter for the shogun, his art eventually evolved into novel, eerie images meant to satisfy both Japanese and Western audiences. Rather than simply absorbing Western approaches, nihonga as practiced by Hogai and others broke with pre-Meiji painting even as it worked to neutralize the rupture. By arguing that fundamental changes to audience expectations led to the emergence of nihonga —a traditional interpretation of Japanese art for a contemporary, international market— Making Modern Japanese-Style Painting offers a fresh look at an important aspect of Japan’s development into a modern nation. The Western discovery of Japanese paintings at nineteenth-century world's fairs and in export shops catapulted Japanese art to new heights of international popularity. With that popularity came criticism, as Western writers began to lament a perceived end to pure Japanese art and a rise in westernized cultural hybrids. The Japanese resonse: nihonga, a traditional style of painting reframed for a contemporary international market. Making Modern Japanese-Style Painting explores the visual characteristics and social functions of nihonga and traces its relations to the past, its viewers, and emerging notions of the modern Japanese state. Chelsea Foxwell sheds light on interlinked trends in Japanese government art policy, American and European commentary on Japanese art, and the demands of export. The seminal artist Kano Hōgai (1828-1888) is one telling example: originally produced for the shogun, his art eventually evolved into novel, eerie images meant to satisfy both Japanese and Western audiences. Rather than simply absorbing Western approaches, nihonga as practiced by Hōgai and others broke with pre-Meiji painting even as it worked to neutralize the rupture. By arguing that fundamental changes in audience expectation led to the emergence of nihonga, Making Modern Japanese-Style Painting offers a fresh look at an important aspect of Japan's development into a modern nation. -- from dust jacket MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict Contents 8 Acknowledgements 10 Notes to the Reader 14 Introduction 16 1: Exhibitions and the Making of Modern Japanese Painting 29 2: In Search of Images 57 3: The Painter and His Audiences 89 4: Decadence and the Emergence of Nihonga Style 121 5: Naturalizing the Double Reading 157 6: Transmission and the Historicity of Nihonga 187 Conclusion 220 Notes 230 Bibliography 268 Index 284 The Western discovery of Japanese paintings at 19th-century world's fairs and export shops catapulted Japanese art to new levels of international popularity. With that popularity, however, came criticism, as Western writers began to lament a perceived end to pure Japanese art and a rise in westernised cultural hybrids. The Japanese response: nihonga, a traditional style of painting that reframed existing techniques to distinguish them from Western artistic conventions. This book explores the visual characteristics and social functions of nihonga and traces its relationship to the past, its viewers, and emerging notions of the modern Japanese state Content: Introduction : Nihonga and the historical inscription of the modern -- Exhibitions and the making of modern Japanese painting -- In search of images -- The painter and his audiences -- Decadence and the emergence of Nihonga style -- Naturalizing the double reading -- Transmission and the historicity of Nihonga -- Conclusion.