Studio: international art (89.1925)

TOKYO

TOKYO.—An interesting method was
adopted by a group of artists in the
Nippon style of painting in conducting an
exhibition of their works. The Anonym-
ous Society, as it is called, is composed of
the following members : Takatori-Chisei,
whose masterly treatment of historical
subjects has given him a recognised posi-
tion among contemporary artists ; Shim-
azaki-Ryuu, a talented artist in the style
that combines the northern and southern
schools of paintings ; Moriwaki-Unkei,
who also works in the same style as Ryuu ;
Sato-Shiyen, of the southern school,
skilled especially in flowers and bird
subjects ; Matsuno-Kajo, a former pupil
of Noguchi-Yukoku, following the style of
Chinzan ; Dan-Ranshyu, a former pupil
of Kawabata-Gyokusho, possessing a
special talent in the production of misty
landscapes ; Imai-Soho, talented in figure
subjects as well as in landscapes ; and
Yagioka-Shunzan, whose style after the
Kano style has attained a high state of
maturity. These members were supported
at the exhibition by such well-known
artists as Kano-Tanrei, Otsubo-Seigi, Ito-
Ryugai, and Aoki-Taishyu. 000
The interesting part was that none of
the works bore either seal or signature of
the painter, and the catalogue bore merely
the titles of the paintings. Thus the aim
was to obtain an honest criticism, a just

" AUTUMNAL LANDSCAPE." PAINTING
ON SCREEN BY DAN - EANSHYU

appreciation of the intrinsic value of the
work, unbiassed by the name of the author.
It was only towards the close of the
exhibition that the artist of each painting
was made public. The works were sold
by means of written bids and signatures,
and seals were placed upon the paintings
after the close of the exhibition before
they were delivered to the purchasers. a
Dan-Ranshyu had several excellent
works. A pair of six-panelled screens, en-
titled Spring and Autumn, one with plums
in full bloom and the other with foliage
in autumnal tints, both with towering
mountains vanishing in misty distance,
was full of his characteristics. His Evening
Moon, teeming with romantic tranquillity,
and his Landscape, with a hut by a gurgling
stream at the base of a mountain, showed
his intimacy with nature. Maple Viewing,
on a pair of six-panelled screens, by
Takatori-Chisei, was charmingly decora-
tive with freshness of autumnal tints. Full
of romance was Shima^aki-Ryuu's The
Water Tune, showing a girl through a
misu (a hanging screen made of split
bamboo) tuning a samisen by the water.
Full of life, bold in composition and treat-
ment, was a pair of screens by Imai-Soho
on which the eight beautiful scenes of
Biwa Lake, though conflicting in them-
selves, as one place is famed for the
autumnal moon, while another in a storm

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