1.The Japan Art Institute - Before and After Its Founding
The origins of the artistic movement held as the idear of the Japan Art Institute can be traced back ti the Kangakai(Society for the Appreciation of Paintings) organized by Fenollosa, Kano Hogai, and Okakura Tenshin as a study group of pre-Meiji Japanese art. This artistic movement was also directly tied to the theories put into practice at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts and Japan Painting Association.
enollosa set up the Kano-ha School of painting. Teh artist Kano Hogai was active in realizing these Kangakai theories, but he dired before the Tokyo School of Fine Arts was opened. With Okakura Tenshin as principal and Hashimoto Goho playing a central role, the Tokyo School of Fine Arts' “Bijitsu Gakko”School produced from among its pupils the aotstanding talents of Yokoyama taikan,Shimomura Kanzan,and Hishida Sunso. These artists were gaining recognition through their many cotributions to the exhibitions of the Japan Painting Association when, in 1898, an incident occurred involvaing an anonymous document that slandered Tanshin and resulted in his resignation from the School of Fine Arts, along with 17 others. This incident was an opportunity for Tenshin's students to come together and establish the Japan Art Institute in Yanaka, Tokyo.
The Japan Art Institute began its activties as agroup outside of the art establishment, jointly sponsoring the Kyoshinkai exhibition with the Japan Painting Association, holding the ground-breaking Zenkoku Junkaiten("Nationwide Traveling Exhibition"), as well as initiating discussions and study groups.
From the early 1900's, Taikan and Shunso were the central figures in attempts to develop a “no line” painting technique, which was half-scornfully called the “vaguenees”style. The institute's finaces, however were in disarray, causing a morale problem for which various solutions were attempted, among them being exhibitions by Taikan and Shunso in America.
1 狩野芳崖(かのうほうがい)
伏龍羅漢(ふくりゅうらかん)
明治十八年(1885)
第一回鑑画会大会
紙本着色
150.1 x 89.9 cm.
福井県立美術館
Luohan Petting a Dragon.
By Kano Hogai.
Meiji Period, dated 1885.
Hanging scroll. Clour on paper.
150.1 x 89.9 cm.
Fukui Fine Arts Museum.
7 重要文化財
橋本雅邦(はしもとがほう)
龍虎(りゅうこ) 六曲一双
明治二十八年(1895)
第四回河内内国勧業博覧会
絹本着色
各 160.5 x 369.5 cm.
東京・静嘉堂文庫美術館
Important Cultural Property.
Dragon and Tiger.
By Hashimoto Goho.
Meiji Period, dated 1895.
Hanging scroll. Color on paper.
Pair of six-fold screens. Color on silk.
160.5 x 369.5 cm. each.
The Seikado BUnko Art Museum, Tokyo.