"Yokoyama Taikan Exhibition: Celebrating 150 Years Since Birth" Offers a Comprehensive Look at the Master Painter's Works | ART
ART | A Major Retrospective Explores the Essence of Taikan Yokoyama's Art
Masterpieces from the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa Eras Gathered in One Place
"Taikan Yokoyama: Celebrating 150 Years Since Birth"
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of the birth and 60th anniversary of the death of Taikan Yokoyama (1868-1958), a master painter of modern Japanese art, the "Taikan Yokoyama: Celebrating 150 Years Since Birth" exhibition will be held at The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, from Friday, April 13 to Sunday, May 27, 2018. This major retrospective features representative works from the Meiji, Taisho, and Showa periods, as well as newly discovered pieces and works not previously featured in exhibitions.
Text by OZAKI Sayaka
A Comprehensive Display of Yokoyama Taikan's Paintings from a New Era
Amidst an era of influx from the West, Taikan Yokoyama inherited and sometimes adapted traditional Japanese painting techniques. He also created numerous masterpieces characterized by a free style and profound spirituality, departing from conventional motifs.
This exhibition displays his works alongside studies and materials, offering a fresh exploration into the essence of Yokoyama's art through his creative process. The exhibition is divided into three sections: "Taikan of the Meiji Era," "Taikan of the Taisho Era," and "Taikan of the Showa Era."
The "Taikan of the Meiji Era" section features works that challenged various forms of expression, such as "ideal paintings" that depicted concepts and ideals, the "mōrōtai" (hazy style) that built compositions without outlines, and the use of pigments akin to oil paints. This section highlights Yokoyama's vibrant qualities that would later revolutionize Japanese painting.
Portrait of Taikan Yokoyama (circa 1933). Photo courtesy of the Taikan Yokoyama Memorial Hall.
The "Taikan of the Taisho Era" section showcases a collection of works that earned him high acclaim as a painter who infused Eastern traditions with a new sensibility. Visitors can view works that, while inheriting techniques and compositions from Chinese ink painting, the Rinpa school, and Yamato-e, added innovation to tradition, embodying Yokoyama's strong individual style. The "Taikan of the Showa Era" section, featuring his most iconic works that come to mind for everyone, further refines the selection to delve into their significance for the times.
A highlight of this exhibition is the rare pairing of "Night Cherry Blossoms" (1929) and "Autumn Leaves" (1931), displayed together. The monumental scroll "Seiryu-den" (1923), designated an Important Cultural Property and stretching over 40 meters, is Japan's longest painting. It depicts clouds welling up in the mountains, becoming a single drop of rain, flowing down to the earth, forming rivers, and finally reaching the sea. From the sea, the water, with leaping dragons, rises as clouds to the heavens, returning to its origin. This masterpiece, expressing a grand narrative, showcases the full extent of Yokoyama's ink wash techniques.
With approximately 100 works on display, this major retrospective includes representative pieces as well as studies and valuable materials.
"Blue Fuji" (left panel)
Taikan Yokoyama, circa 1917. Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art (half-year exhibition)
April 13 - May 27
"Blue Fuji" (right panel)
Taikan Yokoyama, circa 1917. Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art
Important Cultural Property "Seiryu-den" (detail)
Taikan Yokoyama, 1923. The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Important Cultural Property "Seiryu-den" (detail)
Taikan Yokoyama, 1923. The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
"Night Cherry Blossoms" (left panel)
Taikan Yokoyama, 1929. Okura Museum of Art
"Night Cherry Blossoms" (right panel)
Taikan Yokoyama, 1929. Okura Museum of Art
"Autumn Leaves" (left panel)
Taikan Yokoyama, 1931. Adachi Museum of Art
"Autumn Leaves" (right panel)
Taikan Yokoyama, 1931. Adachi Museum of Art
"Taikan Yokoyama: Celebrating 150 Years Since Birth" Exhibition in Tokyo
Dates | Friday, April 13 - Sunday, May 27, 2018
Venue | The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Address | 3-1 Kitanomaru Koen, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Opening Hours | 10:00 - 17:00 (Fridays and Saturdays until 20:00; last admission 30 minutes before closing)
Closed | Mondays (except April 30)
Organizers | The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto; The Nikkei; Mainichi Shimbun
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
Tel. 03-5777-8600 (Hello Dial)
http://taikan2018.exhn.jp/