Exhibition/event has ended.
Jakuchu’s Adorability and Shoen’s Beauty: “Kawaii” in Japanese Art
Yamatane Museum of Art
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Artists
Jakuchu Ito, Seiho Takeuchi, Shoen Uemura, Morikazu Kumagai, Rokuro Taniuchi et al.
The term “kawaii,” meaning cute, adorable, or charming, is becoming more familiar overseas due to growing interest in Japan’s “kawaii” culture. Looking back over the centuries, we find that the Heian-period “Pillow Book” includes a section entitled “Adorable Things,” with a list that includes infants and baby sparrows. A culture that enjoys the charm and ephemeral nature of the small, the very young, and the immature as “kawaii” has a long history indeed. This exhibition focuses on “kawaii” as it has gripped people’s hearts over the ages, in art as well as in literature. On display are works with subjects including children, with their innocent gestures and charming expressions, as well as birds, insects, cats, dogs and other living things that are familiar parts of our lives and make us say “kawaii!”
“Fujibukuro-no-sōshi” (Tale of the Wisteria Basket; Suntory Museum of Art) from the Muromachi period depicts anthropomorphized monkeys in a simple style similar to children’s books. Itō Jakuchū, an Edo-period artist, used his grid-painting technique in “Birds, Flowers, and Animals of the Four Seasons” folding screen (Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art) to portray his subjects with great affection. More recently, modern Nihonga artists continue to capture charming moments in nature and in our daily lives. In works such as “Horned Owl” (Yamatane Museum of Art), for example, Takeuchi Seihō observed animals tenderly, while Shoen Uemura’s “Girls Folding Paper Cranes” (Yamatane Museum of Art) shows girls innocently enjoying origami. The oil paintings of Morikazu Kumagai and illustrations of Rokuro Taniuchi have a gentle quality that would be perceived as “kawaii” today. In addition to paintings from the medieval through the contemporary periods, this exhibition contains a wide variety of other works such as small cosmetics cases that capture the “maidenly heart.” Through Japanese art, visitors can examine not only the adorableness of outward appearances, but the “kawaii” implicit in simple lines, colorful palettes, and humorous styles.
Part 1: 1/3–2/2, Part 2: 2/4–3/2. Some works will be alternated between Parts 1 and 2.
“Fujibukuro-no-sōshi” (Tale of the Wisteria Basket; Suntory Museum of Art) from the Muromachi period depicts anthropomorphized monkeys in a simple style similar to children’s books. Itō Jakuchū, an Edo-period artist, used his grid-painting technique in “Birds, Flowers, and Animals of the Four Seasons” folding screen (Shizuoka Prefectural Museum of Art) to portray his subjects with great affection. More recently, modern Nihonga artists continue to capture charming moments in nature and in our daily lives. In works such as “Horned Owl” (Yamatane Museum of Art), for example, Takeuchi Seihō observed animals tenderly, while Shoen Uemura’s “Girls Folding Paper Cranes” (Yamatane Museum of Art) shows girls innocently enjoying origami. The oil paintings of Morikazu Kumagai and illustrations of Rokuro Taniuchi have a gentle quality that would be perceived as “kawaii” today. In addition to paintings from the medieval through the contemporary periods, this exhibition contains a wide variety of other works such as small cosmetics cases that capture the “maidenly heart.” Through Japanese art, visitors can examine not only the adorableness of outward appearances, but the “kawaii” implicit in simple lines, colorful palettes, and humorous styles.
Part 1: 1/3–2/2, Part 2: 2/4–3/2. Some works will be alternated between Parts 1 and 2.
Schedule | Jan 3 (Fri) 2014-Mar 2 (Sun) 2014 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Adults ¥1200, University & High School Students ¥900, Junior High School Students & Younger Free, Disabled Persons With Disability Certificates Free | ||||
| Venue | Yamatane Museum of Art https://www.yamatane-museum.jp/english/  | ||||
| Location | 3-12-36 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0012 | ||||
| Access | 10 minute walk from Ebisu Station on the Hibiya and JR line; From the West exit of JR Ebisu Station, take the bus and get off at Hiroo High School. The venue is 1 minute walk from there; From the East exit of JR Shibuta Station, take the bus and get off at Higashi 4-chome. The venue is 2 minute walk from there. | ||||
| Phone | 050-5541-8600 (Hello Dial) | ||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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