When “Chikanobu: Modernity and Nostalgia in Japanese Prints,” opens August 26 at Ruth Chandler Williamson Gallery visitors will have access to a fascinating array of woodblock prints of late 19th-century and early 20th-century Japan.
The Meiji era (1868-1912) was a time of radical change in Japan. Art reflected the changing tastes and modernization that accompanied the transition from feudalistic shogun rule to the industrialization of the Meiji Restoration.
The Gallery exhibition, curated by Professor Bruce Coats, examines the beautifully executed and detailed work of Chikanobu, one of the most prolific Meiji artists. The exhibition documents the printmaster’s shift from advocating modernization to nostalgically promoting traditional values. His complex, multi-figured narrative prints illustrated political events of the Meiji period, depictions of life at court, and customs and manners of a changing Japan. Later in his career he shifted to historical subjects, kabuki actors, and domestic scenes. Professor Coats’ recently published 224 page full-color book will serve as the exhibition’s catalogue.
The opening reception for the Chikanobu exhibit will be held Saturday, September 16, at 7 p.m. at the Gallery.
In addition to the Chikanobu exhibit, Professor Coats has organized a complementary exhibition of Meiji-period prints, painting, and decorative arts of ceramics, cloisonné, metalwork, and lacquerware. “Modernizing Japan: Arts of the Meiji Period, 1868-1912,” will be on view at the Scripps College Clark Humanities Museum August 28 through October 19.
An international symposium, “Promoting and Resisting Westernization in Meiji Japan,” will be held at the College September 15 through September 17.
For more information about the exhibitions and associated activities, call (909) 607-4690.