Aspirations and Ambitions of Artists in Western Painting: The History of Japanese Western Painting in Japan and Aomori during the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa Eras

9/23, 2017(Sat) ━ 11/5(Sun)

Exhibition Ended
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Aspirations and Ambitions of Artists in Western Painting: The History of Japanese Western Painting in Japan and Aomori during the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa Eras

Aspirations and Ambitions of Artists in Western Painting: The History of Japanese Western Painting in Japan and Aomori during the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa Eras

Japan’s Modern Period began when Japan truly encountered Western civilization in the 19th century. Since then, Japanese and Aomori artists have striven to achieve their aspirations and ambitions in Western painting. This exhibition takes up those aspirations and ambitions as its theme and traces the trajectory of modern Japanese Western painting.
The attempt at Western painting was itself the adventure as artists passionately strived to familiarize themselves with its heretofore unknown techniques. Thereafter, Western painting became recognized by society and the search for an original style became the creative focus as artists challenged themselves and tried their hand at various techniques and expressions.

Highlights

  • This is the first exhibition to take on the theme of “Authentic Modern Japanese Western Painting in Japan and Aomori” at the Aomori Museum of Art.

  • The large scale of the exhibition (more than 160 works) provides a context for tracing the development of modern Japanese Western painting in Japan and Aomori, and also the aspirations and ambitions of painters who learned Western techniques as they pursued their own visions of the ideal painting.

  • A selection of excellent works by representative artists of modern Japanese Western painting are specially exhibited along with French paintings, including works of Impressionism, which exerted a profound influence on the development of modern Western painting in Japan.

  • Remarkable works of local artists from collections of various museums and institutions in Aomori Prefecture will be gathered here under one roof.

Exhibition Overview

Japan’s Modern Period began when Japan truly encountered Western civilization in the 19th century. Since then, Japanese and Aomori artists have striven to achieve their aspirations and ambitions in Western painting. This exhibition takes up those aspirations and ambitions as its theme and traces the trajectory of modern Japanese Western painting.

The attempt at Western painting was itself the adventure as artists passionately strived to familiarize themselves with its heretofore unknown techniques. Thereafter, Western painting became recognized by society and the search for an original style became the creative focus as artists challenged themselves and tried their hand at various techniques and expressions.

In the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa periods, artists set their sights on creating artworks reflective of their own ideals and boldly challenged themselves to realize this dream.

In addition to the comprehensive display of modern Japanese Western paintings selected from collections at The Museum of Modern Art, Ibaraki, and the Tochigi Prefectural Museum of Fine Arts, this exhibit also features four special modern French pieces and valuable artwork by Aomori artists from collections at the Aomori Musuem of Art and other museums in the prefecture.

The vast array of extraordinary works by the painters who challenged themselves in these Western-style techniques illustrates the course through which Modern Japanese Western Painting has evolved and showcases the extent to which the painters strived to achieve their aspirations and ambitions.

Details

Exhibition Dates

2017.9.23-2017.11.5

Closed

9/25,10/10,10/23

Opening Hours

Through September 30: 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. (Last admission 5:30 p.m.),
From October 1: 9:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. (Last admission 4:30 p.m.)

Admission Fee

Adults 1,400yen(1,200yen)/
Senior High School and University Students 800 yen (600 yen) /
Elementary and Junior High School Students Free