Studio: international art (63.1914/15)

Studio-Talk

psychologique, universelle, qui conduit aux idees
generates par l'etude sincere de la nature. Je suis
convaincu que l'art participe de revolution des
idees.... La vie est en perpetual devenir, notre esprit
de meme; les annees le transforment, acceptons
tout ce qui vient, c'est le seul moyen de ne pas se
figer dans une formule. Ce que je voudrais, de
toute la force de la joie que je ressens a vivre, c'est
realiser quelques ceuvres impregnees d'un amour
tout humain, par des formes de pure nature et en
cela, je sens que j'aurai tout a faire."

TOKYO.—The exhibition of the treasures
of the Imperial School of Art, Tokyo,
which was recently held in its newly
completed buildings, was a treat to the
students. It contained some eight hundred pieces,
consisting of paintings in both the Japanese and
the western style, sculpture, netsuke, masks used in
the " No " plays, fabrics, lacquer ware, metal work,
ceramics, and the diploma works of those who
have graduated from the art school, showing
various changes in the methods and styles in
painting as well as in other branches of art since
the beginning of the art school some twenty-five
years ago. A detailed description of all the exhibits
will be out of place here, but mention should be
made of some of the more prominent works of
renowned masters.

Of special interest, among other exhibits, was the
illuminated sutra of the " Cause and Effect of Past
and Present," a work of great historical value as
an example of the earliest pictorial efforts of our
people. The words of the sutra seem to have been
written in the seventh year of Tempyo (735), but
the picture is considered to be older. This sutra

is one of three rolls existing in Japan, the other
two being included in the " national treasures,"
and kept in temples, one at the Ho-onin and the
other at the Rendaiji. Another interesting work
was the painting on the door panels of a zushi (a
small portable shrine) some three and a half feet
high, in which was originally found the wooden
image of Kisshoten (which is also placed in the
category of " national treasures") of the Jorori
Temple in the Province of Yamashiro. Judging
from the wooden carving of the deity, which appa-
rently is of the same period, the pictures on the
doors must have been painted in the Eisho era
(1046-1052), and they show strong traces of the
style of the Nara epoch. There were several inter-
esting Buddhistic paintings of the Fujiwara regime,
and also a few excellent examples by Chinese
masters of about the same period. The already
well-known Herd of Horses by Sesshyu, in which
the artist shows his powerful and masterful brush
strokes, and two works by his monjin, a Daruma
by Shugetsu, and Shoki by Shuko, revealed the cha-
racteristic vigour and strength of these masters.
The Tiger in a Bamboo Thicket by Sesson attracted
considerable attention, mainly for the extremely
clever way in which the artist has portrayed the
wily nature of the beast. The Kano school was
well represented by such works as Landscape by
Motonobu, Dragons and Tigers by Eitoku, a
screen painted by Tannyu, Phmnix by Tsunenobu ;
the Tosa school by Quails by Ittoku, Shells by
Mitsuoki; the Korin school by Autumnal Grass
by Korin, and Takaozan as well as Kuramayama
by Hanabusa Itcho. A pair of screens of Hermits
by Soga Shohaku brought out well the pleasing
qualities of that artist. The exhibition was not
lacking in ukivoye. Paintings of beautiful women

" HERD OF HORSES "

(1mperial School of Art, Tokyo)

BY SESSHYU
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