Studio: international art (56.1912)

Studio-Talk

“early spring” : SIX-PANELLED screen

BY HISHIDA SHUNSO

Shunso’s second period
was that of the Bijutsu-in
(Fine Art Institute), and
immediately followed the
organisation of that institu-
tion by him and Okakura
Kakuzo, the late Hashi-
moto Gwaho, and others
in 1898. This was an ex-
perimental period with him
as with many other artists.
It was the time when young
aspirants rebelled against
the then existing condition
of art, and each tried to
work out something new,
something which might
serve to show others a new
path for them to tread.
It was the members of this
institution who produced a
peculiar sort of impres-
sionistic painting and came
to be called moroha (indis-
tinct or obscure school of
painting). But Shunso’s
experimental trend of mind
did not allow him to con-
fine himself to that sort of
work alone.

Shunso’s third period
was that of his foreign
travels, beginning with his
trip to India in 1903 and
33°

“ MAPLF.-TREE AND A LITTLE BIRD.” BY
HISHIDA SHUNSO

ending with his return from
Europe in the summer of
1905. Not satisfied with
the diligent study of Bud-
dhistic paintings preserved
at Nara, he went to India
for a further investigation
of Buddhistic art. The
Buddhistic subjects he
treated subsequently bear
striking evidences of his
study and observation in
India. He painted a large
number of pictures on silk
during his American and
European tour, and held
exhibitions of his paintings
togetherwith those of Yoko-
yama Taikan, who accom-
panied him, in New York,
Washington, D.C., Boston,
London, Berlin, and Paris.

The fourth division con-
sisted of his work done
during his retirement at
quiet Itsuura, in Hitachi
province, where, in seclu-
sion, he worked with his
intimate friends who sur-
vive him: Yokoyama
Taikan, Shimomura Kwan-
zan, and Kimura Buzan.
Okakura Kakuzo was there
also with them, and did