Japanese painting
Japanese painting and graphics are only dealt with in exceptional cases under specially named art epochs. From the 15th century onwards, different schools gradually emerged, which then often existed side by side until the end of the 19th century. The political epochs such as Heian , Kamakura , Muromachi and Edo therefore help with the temporal classification, but less with the stylistic one.
From the 18th century onwards, there were stylistic overlaps between schools and artists that could not be clearly assigned to a school.
Technical terms
Paintings and prints in Japan are of many styles and use different substrates. A pictorial representation, written with the Kanji : 絵 or 画 , is indicated with the attached reading -e or -ga . Which symbol is used depends on the style of the picture or on its background. Painted fans can be recognized by their shape, so there is no need for an addition.
Depending on the shape, a distinction is made between (dimensions: height × width):
-
kakemono , kakejiku (掛軸 ): hanging rolls, e.g. B. 175 cm x 65 cm
- nibuku tsui ( 二 幅 対 ), sanbuku tsui ( 三 幅 対 ) denotes a hanging of two or kakemono next to each other.
- emaki (絵 巻 ): cross rolls, approx. 40 cm high and up to 400 cm long
- gajō ( 画 帖 ) album sheets , e.g. B. 29 x 22 cm
- ehon ( 絵 本 ): illustrated books in various formats
The fixed, painterly furnishing of a room is called shōheki-ga ( 障 壁画 ). In detail these are:
- heki-ga ( 壁画 ): wall paintings,
- Painting on the paper-covered sliding doors between rooms, the Shōji ,
- fusuma-e ( 襖 絵 ): painting on wooden sliding doors covered with paper,
-
sugito ( 杉 戸 ): painting directly on the wooden sliding doors,
- fusuma and sugito are always made in pairs or as a combination of four. You can easily recognize them by the handle indentation in the middle on one side.
The adjustable screen byōbu , the painting of which is called byōbu-e , serves as a movable ornament . Usually a pair is made.
A distinction is made between painted or calligraphic fans:
Beginning (8th century - 1333)
Early preserved paintings can be found in the Hōryū-ji , a temple that was rebuilt after a fire until around 710. The wall paintings there show the gods in the style of the Tang period ( China ). In the Heian period (784–1185), with esoteric Buddhism , the mandala in its two different forms Kongōkai (about "Diamond World") - mandala and Taizo (about "mother's womb") - mandala came to Japan. Buddhist painting with its images of saints is now more strongly Japanese. In addition, a national style of storytelling imagery, the Yamato-e , is developing . The best- known example is the Genji Monogatari from the 12th century - a special case are the scrolls of the Kōzanji temple near Kyōto from the end of the Heian period. Monkeys, frogs, etc. playing jokes are found on them. They are interpreted as an ironic view of the authorities.
The Kamakura period (1185–1333) is the age of scrolls on the history of temples and shrines, the engi , z. B. the Kitano Tenjin engi , which traces the life of Sugawara no Michizane (845–903). An example from the political field is the Heiji Monogatari , which refers to quarrels at court that began in Heiji 1 (1159).
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Muromachi period (1333–1573)
After the resumption of relations with China, new Chinese influence became noticeable, and monochrome ink painting became the most elegant means of expression. Painters, whose names have now been passed down, often worked in monasteries, such as B. Shūbun (? -?), Sesshū (1420–1506), Sesson (1504–?). At the end of the era, founded by Kanō Masanobu (1434–1530), the Kanō School and the Tosa School , based on Yamato-e , whose first important representative was Tosa Mitsunobu (? –1522).
Momoyama period (1573-early Edo period, ca.1630)
The Muromachi period ended with the expulsion of the last Shogun from the Ashikaga house in 1573 by Oda Nobunaga . An art epoch is now highlighted as the Momoyama period , also the Azuchi Momoyama period. It takes its name from Nobunaga's Azuchi Castle on Lake Biwa and the Momoyama near Uji , the mountain on which his successor Toyotomi Hideyoshi had his castle. The residences of these new masters were decorated by the masters of the Kanō school, who in addition to ink painting now also developed a colorful painting on a gold background, the so-called decorative style.
Namban art : In the period around 1600, the Jesuits missionary in Japan conveyed European art. The proselytization ended with the state closure around 1640, but some examples of images of saints and screens of this art have survived the time. The screens with representations of the Portuguese and Spanish in Nagasaki are also counted inthis direction.
Momoyama genre painting : Afterthe country came to restunder Tokugawa Ieyasu , a new art developed within the strengthened bourgeoisie, nature-related and free from the classic, China-oriented allusions: genre pictures (風俗 画 , fūzoku-ga ). Some beautiful screens by unknown artists have been preserved from this period. An important painter of this time is Tawaraya Sōtatsu , active around 1600, exact dates of life unknown, originally a manufacturer of painted fans who created various national treasures and important cultural assets .
Middle and late Edo period (approx. 1630–1868)
In the Edo period, a wealthy bourgeoisie developed, which led to the development of new styles, some of which were based on the Yamato-e, but which also continued to absorb influences from China and Europe.
Ukiyo-e : In the rapidly developing cities of Edo and Osaka, citizens began to read illustrated books, and the era of ukiyo-e, images of the fluid world, began. The first representative of this direction was Hishikawa Moronobu (1618? –1694), today several hundred artists are listed who followed the great demand according to the style. Well-known representatives of this style are z. B. Suzuki Harunobu , Torii Kiyonaga , Kitagawa Utamaro , Tōshūsai Sharaku , Katsushika Hokusai and Utagawa Hiroshige .
Rimpa : Ogata Kōrin (1658-1716)referred to the aforementioned Sōtatsu,and among his works are national treasures. Kōrin had no direct successor, but 100 years later Sakai Hōitsu (1761-1828) referred to him, who was then followed by Suzuki Kiitsu (1796-1858) as a student. These painters are grouped together with Sōtatsu to form the Kōrin School (Japanese Rimpa).
Ōtsu-e : These are pictures sold in the middle Edo period in the area around Ōtsu on Lake Biwa with Buddhist, but also with humorous depictions in the colors yellow, red and black. The famous Mii-dera is located in Ōtsu, and the Tōkaidō and Nakasendō highways come together there.
Nanga : In the middle of the 18th century a direction emerged that was based on Chinese scholar painting. The artists were educated amateurs with a casual style. In Japan, the name nanga - images of the (Chinese) southern school - has become commonplace for images of this kind. Prominent representatives are Yosa Buson (1716–1783), Ike (no) Taiga (1723–1776), Uragami Gyokudō (1745–1820), Tani Bunchō (1763–1840). Tomioka Tessai (1836–1924) is thelast representative of the Nanga style.
Nanpin School :Mediatedby the Chinese Shen Quan (Japanese Shin Nanpin) during a stay in Nagasaki from 1731–33, a style of flower and animal images developed there that shows a European influence conveyed through China. Sō Shiseki (1715–1786) and Kimura Kenkadō (1736–1802) belong to this direction.
Nagasaki woodcuts : In Nagasaki there were also woodcuts, mostly by unknown artists, that deal with the life and goings-on of the Dutch and Chinese.
Maruyama Shijō School : After the Shōgun allowed the study of Western books, artists such as Maruyama Ōkyo (1730–1795) and Matsumura Gekkei (1752–1811), who alsosignedas Goshun , oriented themselvesto the Western-realistic representation. This direction is named after the seat of the schools in Shijō Street in Kyoto. The Kishi school, with Ganku as the founder, also belongs to this direction.
Ranga : Some painters, through contacts with the Dutch trading post in Nagasaki, almost completely adopted the European painting style of the time, painting with oil paints and using copperplate engraving. Images from this school are called Ranga or Yōfuga, Seiyōga. An early advocate was Hiraga Gennai (1728–1779), an important representative is Shiba Kōkan (1774–1818), and Takahashi Yuichi (1828–1894) can also be counted on.
Meiji period (1868-1912)
The Meiji Restoration in 1868 set in motion a wave of modernization that also affected painting. While the old painting schools went out, the state now took care of education. First, the Ministry of Industry Kōbu-shō built an art school ( Kōbu bijutsu gakkō ) for the fine arts, which were understood as handicrafts . They oriented themselves towards Italian art and called the painter Antonio Fontanesi (1818–1882), the sculptor Vincenzo Ragusa (1841–1927) and later the architect Cappelletti (1847–1887) to the school. Asai Chū (1856–1907) is one of the well-known students of Fontanesi . In January 1883 the school closed, but Western style painting - yoga - was established. A number of Japanese studied abroad, preferably in France, such as: B. Kuroda Seiki (1866-1924).
In 1887, after a break of four years, the Tōkyō Art School (Tōkyō bijutsu gakkō) was founded at the urging of Okakura Kakuzō and Ernest Fenollosa of the Ministry of Culture , which existed until 1949. The cultural politician Hamao Arata (1849–1925) became the founding director of the art school, and in 1890 Okakura took over the management. Okakura was concerned with the continuation of classical Japanese painting in a modernized form, which was taught as painting in the Japanese style (Nihonga). Yokoyama Taikan (1868–1958) is an example . An independent Nihonga line established itself in Kyoto around Takeuchi Seihō (1864–1942) as a successor to the local Maruyama Shijō school .
In 1896, a western-style painting department, yoga, was established at the school. In the following years there were tensions between the two styles. In 1898 Okakura finally resigned and founded a private art school ( Nihon Bijutsuin ) in Tokyo , where the Nihonga painters followed him.
The Ministry of Culture organized from 1907 annual art exhibitions, Mombushō bijutsu tenrankai , abbreviated colorful with the departments of painting (both Yōga, as well as Nihonga) and sculpture.
There were changes in the art of woodcut. Yamamoto Kanae (1892–1946), under the influence of Western woodcut, renounced the traditional division of labor, in which the artist only provided the template and left the printing to professional workshops. Other artists followed him later; the works, which are now continuously self-made, are called creative woodcuts (Sōsaku-hanga). The magazine “Die Birke” (Shirakaba), which has been published since 1911, has contributed to this development. The group of editors around Mushanokōji Saneatsu organized various exhibitions of European art, with mainly graphics being shown for reasons of cost.
Taishō and Shōwa period (1912–1989)
Painting continued to be taught and practiced side by side in the two styles Yōga and Nihonga. While Yōga processed Fauvism and Expressionism and also referred to the present in terms of content, Nihonga only slowly took up new subjects in addition to his landscape and history painting and also remained committed to gouache painting .
Another new line was added to the graphics. Since the foreigners' interest in rich Japanese woodcuts could no longer be satisfied from the declining old stocks, the art dealer Watanabe Shōzaburō (1885–1962) came up with the idea of creating new pictures of beautiful women from living artists as a follow-up to Ukiyo-e u. a. to have produced. The woodcut Yuami ( In the Bath ) by Hashiguchi Goyō (1880-1921) produced in 1915 was the beginning of the new woodcut , the Shin-hanga .
With the establishment of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts (Teikoku bijutsu-in) in 1919, the Ministry of Culture took over the organization of the state exhibition, which was now called Teiten for short .
1945 brought Japan military defeat. In contrast to Germany, the head of state, the Tennō , remained in office. Even the parliament, although restricted by the requirements of the occupying power, remained in office. The defeat was perceived as purely military, especially since the country was not subjected to a process corresponding to denazification. One has to take this into account when one encounters pictures of military leaders of the Second World War in art museums (or at least in their museum catalogs). In recent years, it has also been decided to show images that glorify war in public museums in order to make the hollow pathos clear for everyone.
In 1947 the Imperial Academy was renamed once again, since then it has been called the Japanese Academy of Arts (Nihon geijutsu-in). The Teiten , which has been called Nitten since 1983, has been organized by a private sponsoring association founded especially for this purpose.
In 1951 and 1955, Japanese art celebrated successes at the São Paulo Biennale. In the later years the artists followed more and more global trends, so that today one should speak more of art in Japan than of Japanese art . In the course of this development, fewer and fewer artists are willing to be classified according to Yōga or Nihonga.
useful information
- The strict separation of the two styles Nihonga and Yōga, which arose in the Meiji period, is quite unique in art history: all lists of visual artists list them in two separate sections up to the present day.
- Many artists' associations from the Meiji period still exist today and hold their large exhibitions every year. Today they are open to any style.
- A museum of their own is often dedicated to deceased artists - up to the present day - mostly at their place of work.
See also
Remarks
- ↑ In Western literature, often only the picture below is shown, without the calligraphy above. The empty space between below and above is also important for the overall impression of the picture.
- ↑ Correct: a world in which one drifts in isolation, as in English floating world, not flowing . In secondary literature, including Japanese, the explanation is occasionally found that "Ukiyo" ( 浮世 ) is derived from the Buddhist "Ukiyo" ( 憂 世 ) = "world of suffering", since the times after 1600 have now got better. However, there is no evidence of this - superfluous - construction.
- ↑ The magazine ceased to appear under the impact of the devastating Kantō earthquake in 1923 .
- ↑ z. B. in the National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo
literature
- Tsuji Nobuo (Ed.): Nihon bijutsu shi. (Japanese art history). 3rd expanded edition. Bijutsu Shuppan Publishing House, 2004, ISBN 4-568-40065-1 .
- Tsuji Nobuo (Ed.): Nihon bijutsu nenpyō. (Japanese Art - Timeline). Verlag Bijutsu Shuppan 2002, ISBN 4-568-40062-7 .
- Akiyama, Terukazu: Japanese Painting . Verlag Skira / Rizzoli 1977, ISBN 0-8478-0132-2 .
- Théo Lésoualc'h: The Japanese Painting . 25th volume in the series World History of Painting. Editions Rencontre Lausanne 1968.
- S. Yamasaki: Chronological Table of Japanese Art . Geishinsha publishing house 1981.
- From the series "The Heibonsha Survey of Japanese Art" (30 volumes) 1970s:
- 10. Painting in the Yamato Style, by Saburo Lenaga
- 12. Japanese Ink Painting: Shubun to Sesshu, by Ichimatsu Tanaka
- 14. Momoyama Decorative Painting, by Tsuguyoshi Doi
- 17. Momoyama Genre Painting, by Yuzo Yamane
- 18. Edo Painting: Sotatsu and Korin, by Hiroshi Mizuo
- 19. The Namban Art of Japan, by Yoshitomo Okamoto
- 22. Traditional Woodblock Prints of Japan, by Seiichiro Takahashi
- 23. Japanese Painting in the Literati Style, by Yoshiho Yonezawa and Chu Yoshizawa
- 24. Modern Currents in Japanese Art, by Michiaki Kawakita Okamura