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Friday, Oct. 22, 2010

An education in Japanese-style painting

By MATTHEW LARKING

Special to The Japan Times

Economically in decline, and with its traditional craft industries going the same way, the city of Kyoto, having lost its nominal status as Japan's capital city in 1868, turned to education. Sixty four elementary schools were established by 1869, and secondary schools followed. The 130th anniversary of Kyoto City University of Arts traces its own foundation as the Kyoto Prefecture School of Painting in 1880 to these educational reforms.

A real nihonga beauty: Bakusen Tsuchida's "Woman Dressing Her Hair" (1911) COURTESY OF THE KYOTO MUNICIPAL MUSEUM OF ART

"The Formation of Kyoto Nihonga — The Master Painter's Challenges" at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art celebrates the school and attempts to trace the development of the formative concepts of what became known as nihonga(Japanese-style painting) in later years and what was distinctive about Kyoto's contribution to it.

Nihonga, however, is a varied genre, the divergent and occasionally antagonistic elements that formed it barely held together by regional designation. Nihonga tends to geographically divide between the city rivalries of Kyoto and Tokyo (though others such as Osaka might make strong bids) each with their own ideals, models and antipathies.

Kyoto nihonga stakes a claim that its direction followed less from the ubiquitous Kano school, de facto copybook painters to Edo-Period (1603-1868) shoguns that formed the basis of Tokyo nihonga, drawing instead on the realistic sketching that was central to the local Maruyama-Shijo School of painting. "Peacocks and Peonies" (1771) by the school's founder, Okyo Maruyama (1733-1795), is representative. The realism, however, is obfuscating, because it often masks other realities.

By 1908, for example, Bakusen Tsuchida's (1887-1936) "Punishment," which depicts a little girl crying into her handkerchief while two emotional boys stand close by, did not specifically draw from the Maruyama-Shijo tradition. Rather, Tsuchida employed the techniques of Western painting, noticeable in details such as the depiction of eyes and mouths, which his teacher Seiho Takeuchi (1864-1942) had learned from his European travels in 1900.

Despite the stimulus Western painting could offer nihonga — and the two discourses were more mutually regarding than antagonistic, as they are conventionally taken to be — the Western-painting instructor Soryu Tamura (1846-1918) resigned from his position at the school in 1889 in anticipation of the department being shut down. It was, and specific Western-style instruction was discontinued until 1947.

The factionalism of the Kyoto school, which led to the dissolution of the Western-style department, was not intended when the school was founded. Originally built on the cooperation of distinct traditions and artists in Kyoto to overcome the differences between the various Edo painting hierarchies, the school sought only to raise the city's level of arts and crafts, which were also its major industries.

Long-held rivalries prevailed, however, and friction among school staff resulted in a series of resignations and new appointments from the outset. With Western-style painting on the way out, the Northern, Eastern and Southern Divisions representing the different Japanese painting schools were combined into a single Eastern Painting Division before a decade had passed. This became the stylistic impetus for Kyoto nihonga: An amalgamation of styles, including everything from ukiyo-e (woodblock print) influences and Buddhist painting to the atmospheric literati painting of the school's first principal, Chokonyu Tanomura (1814-1907). And this became a subject of hostility in Tokyo.

All of the major painters associated with the early Kyoto City University of Arts are covered in the exhibition. And the stylistic diversity that was embraced in the development of nihonga through the early years of the 20th century is well represented, including the more unusual use of contemporary subject matters unrelated to traditional religious or historical themes, such as that of "X-ray Room" (1936) by Chuichi Nishigaki (1912-2000).

The strength of the exhibition is twofold. Rather than merely showing celebrated works of painters who taught or were educated at the school, teaching resources, painting-model books and reproductions of old paintings that students were required to imitate are abundant in display. Not only this, the intricacies of nihonga as a source of design for kimono is explored, something that extols the occasionally decried "decorative" role of the genre.

The alarming weakness, however, is that the most contemporary works are Tekison Maeda's (1895-1947) "Fish Formation," and "Moonlit Night" by Shoen Uemura (1902-1949), and date to 1939, leaving the 70 years since essentially neglected. The implication is that nihonga's formation somehow came to an end. Whereas, in fact, Maeda's and Uemura's paintings pointed one way nihonga would subsequently go. Their reduced palettes and diminished details are the fundamental beginnings of Kyoto nihonga's postwar dialogue with near abstraction, of which Shinsen Tokuoka (1896-1972) is exemplary but not considered in this show.

The omission of the school's more recent nihonga achievements is all the more striking because, while the origins of the school are illustrious, the exceedingly different postwar circumstances and realities for nihonga are left incongruously, to the exhibition's and school's detriment, without mention.

"The 130th Anniversary of the Founding of Kyoto City University of Arts: The Formation of Kyoto Nihonga — The Master Painter's Challenges" at the Kyoto Municipal Museum of Art runs till Nov. 7; admission ¥1,200; open 9 a.m.-5 p.m., closed Mon. except national holidays. For more information, visitwww.city.kyoto.jp/bunshi/kmma/en/index.html.

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Friday, Oct. 22, 2010

"The House of Death" (ca. 1945-46) COURTESY OF SETAGAYA ART MUSEUM

ART BRIEF

'Saburo Miyamoto: 1940-1945'

By C.B. LIDDELL

Setagaya Art Museum

Closes Nov. 28

One of the most astounding and, indeed, slightly unnerving pictures in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art Tokyo is Saburo Miyamoto's "The Meeting of General Yamashita and General Percival" (1942). In a masterly, realist Western style, it depicts the conference between the Japanese and British military leaders that led to the surrender of Singapore and over 100,000 British and Empire troops.

Apart from its painful associations — many of the troops who surrendered later died in POW camps — and the irony of a Western art style at a time of Japanese nationalist hysteria, the artwork is also notable for its composition: The plane of the conference room is tilted to symbolically elevate the line of Japanese officers high above their British counterparts, who appear to cower on the other side of the conference table.

Unfortunately, this painting, which established the reputation of Miyamoto, at least in Japan, is not part of the "Saburo Miyamoto: 1940-1945" exhibition at the Miyamoto Saburo Annex of the Setagaya Art Museum. But there is much else of interest at this show, which focuses on the war art of the famous Japanese painter.

In place of the triumphalism of "The Meeting of General Yamashita and General Percival," which invariably gives the impression that Miyamoto was some kind of insensitive propagandist, there are more morally pleasing works that show a better-rounded view of the war. These include "Standing Nurse" (1941), a slightly Renoir-esque treatment of a compact and efficient-looking nurse, "Hunger and Thirst" (1943), where wounded men scramble in the mud apparently after being blown off their bicycles, and Miyamoto's true war masterpiece, "The House of Death" (ca. 1945-46). Showing figures huddled over a naked corpse, this seems to partially take its inspiration from Michelangelo's famous "La Pieta" sculpture, although the somber tones and war-ravaged landscape in the background also bring to mind Francisco Goya's war paintings.

Setagaya Art Museum is open daily 10 a.m.-6 p.m., closed Mon.; admission ¥200. For more information, visit www.miyamotosaburo-annex.jp (Japanese only).

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Friday, Oct. 29, 2010

Looking into the future: Gwenael Nicolas, Tokyo Designers Week's first "show designer," holds up one of the event's new annual awards, explaining, "This is like the Earth. It's an image of what I want the TDW show to be from now on. It is balanced, pure and simple. It is what design should be about." DANIELLE DEMETRIOU PHOTO

Good news for the blues: Tokyo Designers Week

By DANIELLE DEMETRIOU

Special to The Japan Times

Forget green. Once the only color on the creative minds of the world — from fashion and product design to architecture and packaging — its dominance may soon be usurped.

A city of design: CG rendering of the new look for this year's Tokyo Designers Week event space, which is open from Oct. 29 to Nov. 3. TOKYO DESIGNERS WEEK

Today, Tokyo Designers Week, one of the biggest events in the capital's creative calendar, kicks off with promises of not only a bigger, better fair but also a focus on an altogether different part of the spectrum: blue.

"Most people automatically use green as a theme," says Gwenael Nicolas, the show designer behind the creation of this year's theme, "Love Blue." "But blue is the color of the sky and the sea as well as the technology of the future. That's why we chose it as this year's theme."

But the color blue is not the only surprise in store: Tokyo Designers Week (TDW) organizers are in the process of a major revamp of the event, following the appointment of Nicolas as the first "show designer" in its 25-year history.

The French designer, who moved to Tokyo from his native Brittany 20 years ago and runs the design studio Curiosity, has promised an "entirely new experience" in terms of both the overall design of the space and its contents.

While high-profile international designers such as Michael Young have been involved in the creative direction of TDW in the past, it is the first time that its Design Association organizers have enlisted an official "show designer" to mastermind a complete design overhaul.

And some would say it is not a moment too soon. With exhibitors traditionally presenting their work in conventional cubed spaces, critics have argued that in recent years TDW has become increasingly commercialized and perhaps overshadowed by more futuristic and conceptual satellite events such as Design Tide.

This is something Nicolas is determined to remedy. Upon arrival at the main TWD site in Jingu Gaien, near the Omotesando area of Tokyo, the focal point will no longer be a brightly lit rectangular tent with rows of exhibitors, as in previous years.

Instead, 150 blue flags fluttering 6 meters high will line a blue pathway leading to a futuristic semi-transparent dome stretching 27 meters into the sky — home to the "Environmental Design Exhibition Love Blue." The heart of the new structure will be a hub of parties, talks, events and concerts, with layers of exhibitors fanning out from it.

"It's going to be a completely different experience from the past," enthuses Nicolas, dressed in the international designer's uniform of all black and sitting in his minimalist white Yoyogi office. "Before, there was no core to the event and we decided to change this. I wanted to make it much bigger and I wanted to create a city inside of a city. So there is a different focal point now. People entering the new dome will feel like they are arriving in a futuristic, abstract city."

It's not just the setting that's been given a face-lift. Exhibitors were also screened more rigorously this year, in order to showcase the most adventurous and conceptual "experiences," according to Nicolas.

"Until now, exhibitors have simply rented their 100-meter-square space and done their own thing," says Nicolas, whose 12-staff design studio Curiosity has been behind high-profile projects ranging from Shinjuku's Uniqlo Megastore and the Longchamp flagship in Omotesando to Issey Miyake perfume packaging. "But we are trying to change that. We have been very involved in pushing creators to creating an "experience" and will tighten criteria further each year in the future.

"We also want to shift the emphasis further on things that are not yet in production. It is important not to show what exists now. The point of the event for me is to show what we should do in the future, which is a totally different thing."

Tunnel vision: A model of a "light and wind tunnel," part of the Lixil Forest installation, which will showcase the interior company's products. DANIELLE DEMETRIOU PHOTO

He adds: "The event should be all about the experience. Today, you can see so many products online that some people may feel there's no need to travel to Tokyo from their homes in London or Paris (to see them).

"But we have aimed to create an event that you have to come and see in person — it is essential to experience it, which means you can't stay at home."

The event — which celebrates its 25th birthday this year — has never been bigger. Among a total of 353 exhibitors, the main event has been divided into 18 categories relating to the environment, from water and air to eating and sleeping.

Art is also being invited to play a bigger role, with the introduction of Tokyo galleries — including Mizuma Art Gallery, Scai The Bathhouse and Nanzuka Underground — showcasing the work of Japanese artists, in a bid to break down the city's creative boundaries between disciplines.

With exhaustion often being a design-overload side effect of such events, Nicolas has also designed a bar at the heart of the dome, complete with black cubed seating and 3,000 slender newly designed LED fixtures hanging from the ceiling.

Furthermore, new annual awards — one prize for design and one for art — are also being launched this year. Selected by an awards committee of 300 designers and creatives from around the world, the aim is to highlight the best environmental projects of the past year.

Holding up to the light a clear spherical award (which will accompany ¥3 million prize money), Nicolas says, "This award, which I've designed, is like the Earth. It's an image of what I want the TDW show to be from now on. It is balanced, pure and simple. It is what design should be about. We need to remove everything unnecessary while maintaining a sense of balance."

He adds: "When I came to Tokyo 20 years ago, I didn't come to see the temples: I came to see the future. Tokyo is more a concept than a city. Tokyo has the potential to be a prototype city of your imagination. And hopefully, people who come to the TDW event will feel the same way."

Tokyo Designers Week "Environmental Design Exhibition Love Blue" opens today in Jingu Gaien, near Gaienmae Station, till Nov. 3; admission ¥2,000; open 11a.m. to 8 p.m. For more information, visit www.tdwa.com/english.

Friday, Nov. 5, 2010

Architect's floating future vision

By C.B.LIDDELL

Special to The Japan Times

The inexorable rise of Tokyo Sky Tree on the city's skyline has once again raised the question of what a future Tokyo might look like. The exhibition "Sousuke Fujimoto Architects: Future Visions — Forest, Cloud, Mountain" at the Watarium Museum attempts to get people thinking along these lines, while at the same time introducing them to the work of Sousuke Fujimoto, an up-and-coming architect who is fast making a name for himself in the world of architecture.

Plastic fantastic: Architect Sousuke Fujimoto's cave of tubes.

If you're already thinking, "Not another architecture exhibition!" and mentally picturing a neat but uninspiring arrangement of models and plans, then prepare to be pleasantly surprised, because Fujimoto has created a breathtaking exhibition that is more akin to modern art than architecture. This is all the more remarkable because he has done so with nothing more than several hundred interlocking tubes of clear plastic and thousands of bits of Styrofoam — and, yes, plenty of architectural models, but presented in a most unexpected way.

"I wanted other people besides architects to enjoy the exhibition," the architect tells The Japan Times. "Also, I wanted to physically express the fun of having an idea in architecture, not just lots of architectural plans and models in the conventional way. The Watarium Museum has a characteristic space, so it was a good hint in making the exhibition."

As anyone who's ever been there knows, the Watarium provides quite an unusual exhibition space. There are three relatively small exhibition floors, above a shop and reception area, that can only be accessed by using a single elevator.

However, Fujimoto has turned this apparent weakness into a strength. Each time the elevator door opens — rather like curtains parting — we are greeted by a distinct exhibition space on a different scale from the others.

The first part of the exhibition, on the second floor, is at 1:1 scale with a kind of cave-like structure made from the plastic tubes. But unlike a real cave, which is flooded in darkness, this cave allows in the light. This gives the visitor a life-sized, visceral experience of one of Fujimoto's as-yet-unrealized architectural concepts.

The next floor carries most of the informational burden of the exhibit, with a great variety of architectural models showing various projects, both tentative and actualized, in which the architect has been involved. These include House N, with its internalized garden, and Tokyo Apartment, a building that seems to have been constructed by simply piling lots of small houses on top of each other. But what could so easily have been the dry and factual part of the exhibition is brought to life by the placing of models on the ends of long, thin bendy poles, so that they sprout all around you like exotic flowers in a surreal architectural jungle.

Tree houses: Sousuke Fujimoto's Styrofoam city of buildings and trees floating in the "sky," at the Watarium Museum of Contemporary Art.

The top floor is, in Fujimoto's words, "city scale," with a metropolis made of small blocks of Styrofoam that each represent a building. These are set at waist height, giving visitors a kind of Godzilla's-eye view of possible future urban development. Here you are also offered a print showing Tokyo's present skyline, which you are invited to embellish in order to answer the set question: "In what kind of place will people be living in 10 years, 50 years, and 100 years?" Fujimoto's own answer is that Tokyo will perhaps become "like a man-made forest." The Styrofoam city shows how he envisages this, with structures that allow buildings and trees to live together, while also colonizing the sky.

This of course brings to mind Tokyo Sky Tree, a vast, imposing piece of essentially modernist architecture with a cute, eco-friendly name that doesn't ring true. Ever since Japan was awarded the 2005 Expo (held in Nagoya) by promising an entirely ecological event and then backtracked on the original concept, there has been a growing tendency in Japanese architecture to overuse such eco-friendly terminology.

With concepts at this exhibition such as "Cloud City," "Forests in the Sky" and "Mountain-like Tokyo," Fujimoto, who once described his architectural style as "primitive future," has definitely mastered the kind of green semantics needed by modern architects to get the greenlight of planning permission. So, does he see a conflict between eco thoughts and yet more steel and concrete?

"Although Tokyo is full of artificial things, I feel the same way about it as the forest in Hokkaido where I was brought up," he says. "It's not as simple as man-made versus nature. I think that there's definitely something new that comes into being between nature and man-made things. Contemporary architecture is a man-made thing, but even though it is artificial, it can become connected to nature. I think it is best to look for connections and fusions between the two."

This show definitely does that, and offers plenty of entertainment as well.

"Sousuke Fujimoto Architects: Future Visions — Forest, Cloud, Mountain" at The Watarium Museum of Contemporary Art till Jan. 16, 2011; admission ¥1,000; open daily 11 a.m.-7 p.m. (Wed. till 9 p.m.), closed Mon. For more information, call (03) 3402-3001 or visit www.watarium.co.jp.