Transformation: Modern Japanese Art 

Transformation explores ways in which Japanese art was reinvented during the tumultuous social shifts of the modern age. 

Prior to the Meiji period (1868–1912), Japan existed in a state of near isolation for more than two centuries. Suspicious of external interference, the Edo shogunate (1615–1868) carefully controlled foreign trade and restricted foreign presence with few exceptions, while closely monitoring information about the outside world. This ended with the forcible opening of the country in 1853. The shogunate soon fell, and for the first time in nearly 700 years the Meiji emperor was restored to political power. In the early years of the Meiji period the new government aggressively pursued Westernization, inviting foreign advisors who played a role in establishing key agencies and new training schools, especially the Tokyo Fine Arts School, where initially traditional art was not included in the curriculum. 

Modernization brought profound change to all aspects of Japanese society. The arts both reflected and actively shaped this change as Japanese artists responded to industrialization. Ironically public education, initially intended to drive Western ideas, also increased awareness of Japanese history and classical literature, while museums gave the general populace hitherto unimagined access to Japan’s artistic heritage. These trends merged to create a renaissance of traditional Japanese culture, reimagined as an expression of modern national identity within an international world. 

– Shawn Eichman, Curator of Asian Art 

Funding for this exhibition is provided by the Robert F. Lange Foundation. 

Additional funding provided by

 
TOP BANNER: Honda Tenjō (1867–1946). Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove. Japan, c. 1910s–1920s (detail). Hanging scroll; ink on paper. Gift of Terry Welch, 2021 (2021-03-101) 
SECTION 1: Ōtani Son’yu (1886–1939), Iguchi Kashū (1880–1930). Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō. Japan, 1922 (detail). One of a set of eight handscrolls woodblock–printed over collotype; ink and color on paper. Purchase, Richard Lane Collection, 2003 (2008.0035.1) 
SECTION 2: Kawamura Manshū (1880–1942). Waterfall. Japan, late 1910s (detail). Hanging scroll; ink and color on paper. Gift of Terry Welch, 2021 (2021-03-045) 
SECTION 3: Kawakita Kaho (1875–1940). Prince Ōtōnomiya Escaping to Kumano. Japan, c. 1900–1912 (detail). Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk. Gift of Terry Welch, 2021 (2021-03-023) 
SECTION 4: Hayashi Buntō (1882–1966). Plum Blossom Studio. Japan, late 1910s (detail). Hanging scroll; ink and color on silk. Gift of Terry Welch, 2021 (2021-03-036)