In this edition of the collection exhibition, we present two displays, "A Century On: Responses to Monet’s Painting" and "An Invitation to Fantasy: Reflections of Tetsuro Komai’s Artistic Views," in conjunction with the exhibitions, "Monet’s Legacy" and "Tetsuro Komaï: A Pioneer of Modern Japanese Copperplate Prints."
During the period that Claude Monet (1840-1926) was active, the English artist Charles Wirgman moved to Japan and began depicting local landscapes and customs from a foreign perspective. He also taught Japanese artists such as Yuichi Takahashi and Yoshimatsu Goseda about Western views and painting techniques, leading to the rise of artists who faithfully depicted their subjects. Meanwhile, Kiyochika Kobayashi broke new ground in ukiyo-e prints by incorporating European perspective and shading techniques in works that deal with the Westernization of Japanese cities. Kozan Miyagawa’s "makuzu-yaki" ceramics, which emerged in Yokohama not long after the opening of the city’s port, were highly acclaimed when they were shown in a variety of international expositions all over the world. In this section, we introduce examples of the new Japanese art that resulted from exchanges between the East and West during this vigorous era of Westernization.
We also examine the innovative forms of brushwork developed by Monet and the Impressionist painters. Due to their efforts, the touch and stroke of the brush became important means of expression in painting. Please enjoy the rich texture, and in some cases, other elements that imbue the picture plane with strength in this selection of abstract and other types of painting dated primarily from after World War II.
Finally, in light of the fact that "Monet’s Legacy" focuses on the painter’s lasting influence, we present works in which the artists reinterpreted a classical painting, existing piece or well-known image, and incorporated it into their art, transforming the original source to create a new expression. These ambitious efforts set out to upend conventional viewpoints.
The second display is related to Tetsuro Komai, a copperplate print artist who developed a profoundly spiritual and fantastic artistic realm. Komai’s art also deals with the theme of “an invitation to fantasy.” With this in mind, we present a group of highly fantastic works, primarily contemporary ”Nihon-ga” (Japanese-style paintings), by artists such as Komei Kondo, who made use of a dreamy flower motif.
In the Photography Gallery, we feature French photography from Monet’s era including works by Eugène Atget and Robert Demachy, who captured French landscapes, city scenes, and customs from the period.
