Exhibition Outlines

Art during the Meiji period underwent a remarkable transformation, after the chaotic social situation and turbulent times right after Japan’s opening to the world. It was a time when various systems were organized during the early stages of Meiji, and this transformation can be considered a sudden change that occurred in a short term among the long history of Japanese art. In this exhibition, we will mainly show paintings, sculptures, crafts, and photographs, created during the late 1870’s to 1880’s, and indicate the qualities seen in their formative expressions.

Qualities particularly notable among the art of this era, are the distinguished technical skills as a matter of principle, which we will refer to as ‘technicalism’, seen in the craft and sculpture divisions. Many works were created according to the changes in the new era, by exquisite expressions succeeding the high-level techniques that matured during the Edo period. On the other side, the western images and techniques that were positively introduced within the trend of ‘civilization and enlightenment’ ( Japan’s Westernization movement during the Meiji era ), created totally different expressions compared with former periods. In short, these should be called realistic expressions, and works literally true to nature were pursued with various materials and techniques, whether flat-surface or three-dimensional works, united with the ‘technicalism’. Furthermore, photography that was introduced at the end of the Edo period, gradually began to aim towards pictorial expressions, instead of just recording people and things as they are.

In this exhibition, we will focus on the formative art expressions of the Meiji period that have recently attracted attention as “Chozetsu-giko” (unmatched techniques), explaining why each work is so marvelous, and examine the essence this period’s art. We hope that our visitors will deepen their interest and understanding towards art of the Meiji period.