Idyllic Vision: The Modern Japanese Landscape

Exhibition

Exhibition Overview

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Idyllic Vision: The Modern Japanese Landscape
Alison Miller, curator
November 26, 2007–February 3, 2008
Asia Gallery, Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas

This exhibition examines Japanese landscape prints of the Taishô (1912-1926) and early Shôwa (1926-1989) periods. Set against the reality of early twentieth century Japanese industrialization and modernity, Shin-hanga, or “new prints,” presented an idyllic and timeless vision of the Japanese landscape. These prints portrayed an under-populated and traditional landscape in a time when many Japanese were living in cities and facing issues of modern life. The exhibition is intended to address issues of place, identity, and modernity in the context of early twentieth century Japan, as well as the growing sentiment of nationalism and how the concept of place relates to the idea of nation.

This exhibition was organized by guest curator Alison Miller, KU graduate student in art history.

Exhibition images

Works of art

Yamamoto Shōun
Customs and Manners of the Evening, circa 1910–1925, Meiji period (1868–1912) or Taisho period (1912–1926)
Hasegawa Takejirō; Yoshimoto Gesso
Pine Tree at Karasaki, 1915–1920, Taisho period (1912–1926)
Hasegawa Takejirō; Kobayashi Eijirō
High Bridge by Night, 1915–1920, Taisho period (1912–1926)
川瀬巴水 Kawase Hasui
Early Autumn at Itako, 1942, Showa period (1926–1989)
Utagawa Hiroshige
#11 Hakone Kosui no zu (View of Lake at Hakone), 1833–1834, Edo period (1600–1868)
吉田博 Yoshida Hiroshi
Glittering Sea (Seto Inland Sea), 1926, Showa period (1926–1989)
吉田博 Yoshida Hiroshi
Bamboo Wood, 1939, Showa period (1926–1989)
吉田博 Yoshida Hiroshi
Plum Gateway, 1935, Showa period (1926–1989)
吉田博 Yoshida Hiroshi
Misty Day in Nikkō, 1937, Showa period (1926–1989)
平塚 運 Hiratsuka Unichi
Ikarugadera Temple in Early Autumn, 1942, Showa period (1926–1989)
川瀬巴水 Kawase Hasui
Hida Kamagatake, 1933, Showa period (1926–1989)
高橋松亭 Takahashi Shōtei
Mt. Fuji from Mizukubo, circa 1938, Showa period (1926–1989)
川瀬巴水 Kawase Hasui
Moon at Magome, 1930, Showa period (1926–1989)
川瀬巴水 Kawase Hasui
Nikko futatsudo (Two Temple Buildings at Nikko), 1929, Showa period (1926–1989)
吉田博 Yoshida Hiroshi
Fuji-san from Yamanaka, 1936, Showa period (1926–1989)
Sekino Junichirō
Nissaka (The New Tokaido), 1960, Showa period (1926–1989)
川瀬巴水 Kawase Hasui
Kyōto, Chion-in, 1933, Showa period (1926–1989)
Itō Shinsui
Karasaki no matsu 唐崎の松 (Pine at Karasaki), May 1918, Taisho period (1912–1926)
川瀬巴水 Kawase Hasui
Moon over Enoura, 1939, 1st month, Showa period (1926–1989)
笠松紫浪 Kasamatsu Shirō
Rainy Season at Kinokunizaka, 1938, Showa period (1926–1989)
笠松紫浪 Kasamatsu Shirō
Mountain Temple in Rain--Yamato Tsubosaka-dera, 1950, Showa period (1926–1989)
笠松紫浪 Kasamatsu Shirō
Evening Sky--Suwa Shrine, Nippori, 1932, Showa period (1926–1989)
吉田遠志 Yoshida Tōshi
Rinnoji Garden, 1941, Showa period (1926–1989)
高橋松亭 Takahashi Shōtei
Twilight at Tasogare, late 1910s, Taisho period (1912–1926)
高橋松亭 Takahashi Shōtei
Snow at Asakusa, circa 1920s, Taisho period (1912–1926) or Showa period (1926–1989)
Utagawa Hiroshige
吉田博 Yoshida Hiroshi
Small town in Japan, 1933, Showa period (1926–1989)
吉田博 Yoshida Hiroshi
Suzukawa [Mt.Fuji from the Suzu River], 1935, Showa period (1926–1989)
吉田博 Yoshida Hiroshi
Three Little Islands, 1930, Showa period (1926–1989)
川瀬巴水 Kawase Hasui
Senzoku no Ike (Snow on Senzoku Pond), 1928, Showa period (1926–1989)
川瀬巴水 Kawase Hasui
Shiba Onshi Koen (Onshi Park, Shiba, Tokyo), 1937, 12th month, Showa period (1926–1989)
Arai Yoshimune; Hasegawa Takejirō
Suma Beach, 1915–1920, Taisho period (1912–1926)
吉田遠志 Yoshida Tōshi
Shirasagi Castle, 1942, Showa period (1926–1989)
清 Nagai Kiyoshi
The Road in Winter, 1972, Showa period (1926–1989)
清 Nagai Kiyoshi
Garden in the Early Spring, 1972, Showa period (1926–1989)
Nakamura Daizaburō
Konoshima Ōkoku
Snow Scene, late 1800s–early 1900s, Meiji period (1868–1912) or Taisho period (1912–1926)
woman's outer kimono (uchikake), circa 1953, Showa period (1926–1989)

Events

December 1, 2007
Workshop

Resources

Audio