International studio (40.1910)

Contemporary Japanese Painting

"taken by surprise" (screen painting) by kokkwan otake

in the midst of a carousal. The mode of rendering with the Bijutsuin (Art Institute), and studied

is unmistakably of the Tosa School. The com- under the late Mr. Gaho Hashimoto. He has

position may be criticised as wanting in centre, also been an ardent practiser of a Western method,

but, like all our ancient war painting on scrolls, the Some years ago, in company with Mr. Taikwan

chief object of the picture is to delineate the move- Yokoyama, another painter of the Institute, he

ments of men and horses. We know of many made a tour abroad. In those days there was a

contemporary artists, professedly followers of the class of artists who essayed to embody in their

Tosa School, who have taken to the painting of work the elements of Indian art, and Mr. Hishida

war scenes, but so far as our observations have was one of the class. For a time, too, he gave his

gone, they have mostly fallen into formalism, chief thoughts to colouring, but of late he has

Compared with their productions Mr. Otake's looked more to form; and this devotion resulted

painting here under review, though treated after in the painting so exquisitely finished and natural-

the Tosa style, is endowed with many praiseworthy istic which he displayed in the last exhibition,

qualities, among others a faithful rendering Unquestionably this picture was drawn with a

of the human form, and power and facility of decorative purpose. In olden times Japan had

strokes. The painter is still in the prime of man- many painters who delineated natural objects

hood ; in fact it was only fifteen or sixteen years in a decorative way, foremost of all, Kwoetsu,

ago that his talent was first recognised by the Kworin, and Hoitsu. Their productions, however,

artistic public, who were much struck by some decorative as they are, are generally full of poetic

figure painting which on one occasion he displayed feeling. Mr. Hishida's painting has yet to rise to

at an exhibition in Tokyo. He was then set down the nobility of these classic masters; at best his

as a painter of great promise, and his subsequent Fallen Leaves speaks of the pains he has taken in

career has not belied the public expectations. At giving a minute finish of a realistic type. The

times, it is true, his ready brush has led him into colouring, adequately subdued and harmonious,

eccentricities, but he has wisely controlled himself is probably the happiest feature of the painting,

in his present work. which, all things considered, may be taken as well

Last but not least comes Mr. Shunso Hishida, representing the realistic side of the New School,
who decorated the gallery of the last exhibition Passing to the side of the Old Schools, we

with a screen-painting entitled Fallen Leaves, de- found in the last exhibition a commendable mono-

picting part of a forest. As a contrast to Mr. chrome picture entitled Snowy Landscape, by

Otake's picture this piece shows the still side of Mr. Suiun Komuro, a production of the Chinese

nature, there being not the faintest sign of the style of the Southern stamp. The artist was a

activity which is conspicuous in the other painting, pupil of the late Mr. Soun Tazaki of the Chinese

The method of execution is at once minute and School, who enjoyed considerable fame some twenty

naturalistic. Mr. Hishida was once connected years ago. Mr. Komuro, though yet comparatively

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