Studio: international art (62.1914)

Studio- Talk

TOKYO.—Recently the Imperial School
of Art, Tokyo, the premier institution of
the kind in Japan, celebrated, with
appropriate ceremonies and with an
exhibition of its treasures, the twenty-fifth anniver-
sary of its foundation. A brief history of the school
may prove of value to those interested in the
progress of art and art education in Japan.

It was in July 1885 that a committee was
appointed by the Department of Education to
investigate matters concerning the teaching of
drawing in schools. As a result, a bureau for drawing
was established in November of the following year.
This bureau was the pioneer of the Imperial School
of Art, Tokyo, which came into existence by
Imperial order on October 4, 1889, and came to
occupy the present splendid position in Uyeno
Park which was formerly used by the Educational
Museum. The Art School was opened on February 1,
1890, under the directorship of Baron Hamao.
The curriculum then consisted of painting, lacquer
work, wood carving and metal chasing, there being
two different courses, one taking two and the other
three years to complete. There was also a normal
course. In October 1891 Mr. Kakuzo Okakura,
whose death was referred to in The Studio a few
months ago (see March No., p. 166), became the
director. In November 1893 a four-year course
was instituted, in addition to a preliminary course
lasting one year, and metal casting was added to
the curriculum.

"STREET MARKET, CALI.E A. FIGUEROA, MADRID " jn M o tj,e instruction jn pajntjnK and

FROM A CHALK DRAWING BY J. P. I'll.LAC . 3 8

carving was divided into three forms or styles,
based upon the three distinct periods in the history

books are full of reminiscence of the places he has of our art. In the following year the repousse

visited both in the Old World and in the New. process v; as introduced into the course of instruction

In Spain, where he has spent a considerable time, in metal work, and a course in design and another

he has amassed a large collection of drawings, in the European style of painting were added. In

chiefly of street scenes in cities where Castilian or March 1899 Mr. Okakura was succeeded by Mr.

Basque types are found, such as Madrid, Toledo, Hideo Takamine, and the method of teaching

and Bilbao. A shrewd observer, he has a keen devised by his predecessor was altered. Clay

•eye for the characteristics of the people he portrays modelling, which was bound to affect our sculpture

as may be seen particularly in his studies of the to a considerable degree, was introduced into

Basque type of humanity whose anthropological the casting department, and came to be adopted

status has puzzled the learned. Mons. Tillac studied for the first time in making sketches for wood

at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris under MM. sculpture in the following year. In January 1900

Gerome, Cormon and Waltner, and at the Salon Mr. Kanae Kubota became the director, only to be

of the Artistes Francais in 1905 he was awarded a superseded in the following year by Mr. Naohiko

mention honorable. Since then he has spent Masaki, under whose able directorship the school

most of his time in travelling. In his drawings still continues to train young artists. Four years

such as those reproduced, he uses a little colour later, that is to say in 1905, the school adopted the

by way of rthaussement. five-year course.

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