Japanese painting

Kano Sanraku. Sliding door with a picture of plum blossoms, beginning of the 17th century.

Japanese painting ( 絵画 kaiga , “painting, drawing”) is one of the most ancient and sophisticated Japanese art forms, characterized by a wide variety of genres and styles. Japanese painting, as well as literature , is characterized by the assignment of a leading place to nature and its image as a carrier of the divine principle. ^[1] Another subject that is widespread in Japanese painting is the depiction of scenes from everyday life and thematic paintings, which are often crowded with figures and details. This tradition, undoubtedly, began in the early Middle Ages under the influence of China, but over time it began to be considered as part of the Japanese traditions that exists today.

Content

History

Sesshu. Winter landscape. National Museum, Tokyo.

The first painting in Japan dates from the period of the Japanese Paleolithic .

Yamato Period

In the periods of Kofun and Asuka ( IV - VII centuries ), along with the introduction of Chinese writing (hieroglyphs), the creation of a state regime according to the Chinese model and the spread of Buddhism , many works of art were brought from China to Japan. After that, Japan began to reproduce paintings in a style similar to Chinese.

Nara Period

With the further development of Buddhism in the 6th and 7th centuries , religious painting flourished in Japan, used to decorate the numerous temples erected by the aristocracy, but in general during the Nara period in Japan, the contribution to the development of art and sculpture was greater than to painting. The earliest surviving paintings of this period include murals on the inner walls of the Horyu-ji Temple in Nara Prefecture . These murals include stories about the life of Buddha Shakyamuni .

Heian Period

Since the 10th century , the direction of Yamato-e has been singled out in Japanese painting, the paintings are horizontal scrolls that illustrate literary works.

Muromachi Period

In the XIV - XVI centuries, the style of sumi-e (monochrome ink painting) develops.

Azuchi-Momoyama

In sharp contrast with the painting of the Muromachi period, the painting of the Azuti-Momoyama period (1573-1603) appears. She is characterized by a polychrome style with widespread use of gold and silver foil. At that time, the Kano school enjoyed great fame and prestige. Its founder Aitoku Kano painted the walls of the ceiling and sliding doors to separate the rooms. Such painted elements served as decoration of castles and palaces of the military nobility.

Edo Period (1603-1868)

During this period, art first addressed the topics of everyday life - the world of tea houses, the Kabuki theater, sumo wrestlers. The appearance of wood engraving was associated with the democratization of culture, since engraving is characterized by circulation, cheapness and accessibility. Following household painting, the engraving became known as ukiyo-e. The development of the engraving is associated with the artist Hisikawa Moronobu, who portrayed uncomplicated scenes from the life of the inhabitants of tea houses, artisans, combining various unrelated events on one engraving. Japanese engraving in the years 1780-1790. enters its heyday. Suzuki Kharanobu first applied the technique of peal, creating a transition from dark to light tone, varied the thickness and texture of the lines. He did not care about the real colors, the sea on his engravings is pink, the sandy sky, the grass is blue, it all depends on the overall emotional mood of the scene.

Meiji Period

From the second half of the 19th century , the division of art into competing European and traditional styles was noted. During the Meiji period, Japan underwent great political and social changes in the process of Europeanization and modernization organized by the government. The western style of painting was officially promoted by the government. Promising young artists were sent abroad to study, and foreign artists came to Japan to develop a curriculum in art.

Nevertheless, after an initial surge of interest in Western art style, the pendulum swung in the opposite direction, a revival of the traditional Japanese style took place. In 1880, the western style of art was banned at official exhibitions and was subjected to harsh criticism.

Taisho Period (1912–1926)

The Taisho era falls on a brief period of time, lying between the accelerated modernization of Japan in the Meiji era (1868–1912) and the aggressive militarism of the first years of the Show era (1926–1989).

The Taisho period began on July 30, 1912 with the death of Emperor Mutsuhito (Meiji, 1852–1912) and the ascension to the throne of Crown Prince Yoshihito (1879–1926). The new emperor chose Taisho as the motto of his reign, which means "Great Justice." Poor health forced him to retire in 1921, and his eldest son Hirohito (1901–1989), the future emperor Showa, was proclaimed prince-regent.

At the same time, a new round was received and the development of painting. Traditional genres continued to exist, but were significantly influenced by the West. At the same time, many young artists became interested in impressionism, post-impressionism, cubism, Fauvism, and other artistic movements developing in Western countries.

In general, the Taisho period can be called a time of mixing Japanese and Western features and techniques in almost all forms of art and creativity.

Sowa Period (1926–1989)

The Showa era is the period in the history of Japan from December 25, 1926 to January 7, 1989, when Hirohito (1901-1989) was the emperor. The motto of his reign, he chose Sowa, which can be translated as "Enlightened world."

In the history of post-war painting, one of the most famous artists was Okumura Togyu (1889–1990), famous for depicting a hundred views of Mount Fuji, as well as Higashiyama Kai (1908–1999), who became famous, in particular, due to the fact that he created and restored the wall paintings of many Japanese palaces and temples (the Imperial Palace, Tosedaiji Temple, etc.). In Western-style painting, the most famous artist is Hayashi Takeshi (1896–1975), in whose works one can trace the strong influence of Cezanne, Picasso, Modigliani.

Notes

↑ Religious traditions of the world = Religious traditions of the world. - M .: Kron-press, 1996 .-- T. 2 .-- S. 495-610. - 640 s. - ISBN 5-232-00313-5 .

Literature

Nikolaeva N. S. Decorative paintings of Japan from the 16th to the 18th centuries: From Kano Eitoku to Ogata Korina . - M .: Fine Arts , 1989. - 232 p. - 50,000 copies. - ISBN 5-85200-083-3 . (in trans., superobl.)
Modern painting of Japan. Nihong school. Exhibition of works of Japanese national painting from the Yamatane Tokyo Gekkoso Museum 1976.
Brodsky V.E. Japanese classical art. Painting. Graphics. Essays. M., Art, 1969 288 p.
The art of Japan. From antiquity to the beginning of the 19th century Text. N.S.Nikolaeva. Dealer 2003.345 s.
State Museum of Oriental Art. Painting of Japan. A set of reproductions. M. Visual Arts 1988 16 sec
Japanese engraving and painting. St. Petersburg, 2007.320 s. ISBN: 978-5-9603-0072-8
Mason, Penelope. History of Japanese Art. Prentice Hall (2005). ISBN 0-13-117602-1
Sadao, Tsuneko. Discovering the Arts of Japan: A Historical Overview. Kodansha International (2003). ISBN 4-7700-2939-X
Schaap, Robert, A Brush with Animals, Japanese Paintings, 1700-1950, Bergeijk, Society for Japanese Arts & Hotei Publishing, 2007. ISBN 978-90-70216-07-8
Schaarschmidt Richte. Japanese Modern Art Painting From 1910. Edition Stemmle. ISBN 3-908161-85-1

[relig-1] Religious traditions of the world = Religious traditions of the world. - M .: Kron-press, 1996 .-- T. 2 .-- S. 495-610. - 640 s. - ISBN 5-232-00313-5 .