Studio: international art (50.1910)

Japanese Art and Artists of To-day.—I. Painting

“reading poetry” (oil) by ishibashi wakbn

is a fact that almost every artist of any name has a
group of pupils to teach at his studio. There are
hundreds of them in Tokyo, and scores in other
cities of the country. Thus, while the Tokyo
Fine Art School and the Special School for Paint-
ing in Kyoto are the only two recognised schools
for training young artists—here it may be added
that the Tokyo Girls’ School of Fine Arts, which
has now over seven hundred students, is doing
an excellent work—the numerous private studios
afford plenty of opportunities to our young aspi-
rants in art.

The following are some of the principal Japanese
Art Societies and Kajuku (art studios) in Tokyo :—

Bijutsu Kyokai (Fine Arts Association).—The
centre of influence here is Gejo, a great
connoisseur and artist of the Kano School.

Nihongakai (Japanese Painting Society).—
Here young artists are to be found, such as
Araki Jippo (son of Kampo), Hata Senrei,
and Yamada Keichu.

Tatsumi Gakai. — Matsumoto Yuko is the
centre of influence here.

Kensei-Kai.—Terasaki Kogyo is here acknow-
ledged as one of the leaders.

Futaba-Kai.—This is the society in which
Gaho’s influence is mostly felt. Among its
leaders are Shunsui, Okakura and Miyake.

Tenshin-Sha.—Gyokusho’s influence is mostly
felt here.

Tokuga-Kai.—The centre of influence here is
Kampo.

Musei-Kai.—Such promising artists as Flirafuku
Hyakusui, Fukui Kotei, Yuki Somei, Shi-
masaki Ryuu are active here.

Nanga-Kai.—This association, which means
Society of the Southern School, which
paints almost exclusively landscapes, has
such influential members as Noguchi Shohin
(lady artist), Yamaoka Beikwa, Yamamoto
Baiso of Nagoya, and Kodama Katei.

There is only one influential artist society in
Kyoto, namely, the Bijutsu-Kai, where Seiho and
others are doing their best to maintain a high
standard of artistic excellence.

The existence of these different societies and
other indications betoken activity among our
artists. The unrest is a struggle—a struggle for
supremacy, or, as some think, for existence. What-
ever that might be, the fact that the future has in
store a grave problem for Japanese pictorial art is not
difficult to conceive in this age of ever-advancing
science, which many a noted art critic regards
as incompatible with the progress of Japanese art.
The preparation for the solution of this problem
rests with the Japanese artists of to-day.

London, June io, 1910. JIRO HARADA.

“seaside” (water-colour), by nakagawa hachiro

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