Gosztonyi Ferenc - Király Erzsébet - Szücs György szerk.: A Magyar Nemzeti Galéria Évkönyve 2002-2004. 24/9 (MNG Budapest, 2005)
STUDIES - Shinji Tanaka: On Bertalan Székely's Japanese Woman, 1871
SKETCHES FOR THE JAPANESE WOMAN AND RELATED PROBLEMS What brought Székely to paint the Japanese Woman? Apart from this painting, three items in his oeuvre are related to this theme. In Székely's first sketchbook, started in 1862, there is a line drawing called Die japanische Tänzerin 7 ", probably dating from the 1860s. However, the position of the dancer does not suggest any gesture used in Japanese dancing. Maybe this drawing represents the first idea of the theme of a Japanese woman in Székely's oeuvre? The same sketchbook contains another drawing among the copies of the above-mentioned Japanese woodcut. 71 The scene in the drawing Grotte mit Springbrunnen und Japanerin does not look like a Japanese scene. Rather, it has a European air, with a Grecian motif alongside. In general, both drawings produce the impression of a European scene. It appears that the artist depicted his Japanese woman in a European background. The third representation of a Japanese woman is an oil painting obtained by the museum via Tivadar Lándor. 72 The painting represents an outdoor scene in which a woman, with her right arm raised high, looks up into a small mirror held in her hand. Neither her attire, nor the atmosphere of the scene is Japanesque. The theme, however, is already the toilette of a Japanese woman. In the sketchbook containing the drawing with the caption Grotte mit Springbrunnen und Japanerin there is a sketch of a Grecian NOTES 1 Zsuzsanna Bakó expounding on the Japanese Woman in Székely Bertalan (1835-1910) kiállítása {The Exhibition of Bertalan Székely), 1999. Exhibition catalogue, Budapest, Hungarian National Gallery, p. 160. 2 A version of this paper was read at the conference Japanism in Hungary (3 December 1999, Hungarian National Gallery). The author received an M.A. degree at Okay ama University, Okayama in 1999. (On Bertalan Székely's Japanese Woman. Okayama University, Studies on History of Art, 2000/7, p. 200-262, Japanese language) 3 Székely Bertalan kiállítás ( The Exhibition of Bertalan Székely), 1955. Országos Magyar Szépművészeti Múzeum (Museum of Fine Arts), exhibition catalogue, p. 36; Zsuzsanna Bakó: Székely Bertalan, Budapest, 1982, p. 84; Lenke Haulisch, Székely 1835-1910, Budapest, 1964, p. 31. 4 Sándor Nagy: Székely Bertalan élete (The Life of Bertalan Székely). In: Székely Bertalan emlékkiállítás (The Commemorative Exhibition of Bertalan Székelyi), 1911, Műcsarnok (Exhibition Hall), p. 9. 5 Béla Büky: Székely Bertalan hagyatéka a Magyar Tudományos Akadémia könyvtárának kézirattárában (The Estate of Bertalan Székely in the Archives of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), woman looking into a handheld mirror. 73 Is the sketch of the Japanese Woman reminiscent of this posture? It is hard to believe that this alleged portrayal of a Japanese woman was executed at a later date than the Japanese Woman. Székely was a meticulous artist. He continued to work on the theme for a long time after its initial conception. It took a long time for him to bring it to conclusion. The three representations of Japanese women barely contain any Japanesque motives. It is conceivable that the idea of painting a picture with a Japanese theme occurred to Székely prior to 1870, and the Japanese Woman as we know it is the result of careful studies. In view of its theme, the Japanese Woman is unique in both Székely's oeuvre and contemporary painting. It may be regarded as the first example of Japonisme in Hungary. ABBREVIATIONS MTAKK Magyar Tudományos Akadémia Könyvtára Kézirattára (Manuscript Collection of the Library of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences) OMKT Országos Magyar Képzőművészeti Társulat (Hungarian Fine Art Association) A magyar Tudmányos Akadémia könyvtárának közleményei 29, Budapest, 1962, p. 6. 6 Annamária Szőke:,, ...ostoba angyalkákkal játszik üres óráiban". A kutató és elmélkedő Székely Bertalan-kép a kritikában és a művészettörténet-írásban ( "... playing around with idle little angels in his leisure hours '. The Researching and Pondering Bertalan Székely Picture in Criticism and Art History). In: Székely Bertalan (1835-1910) kiállítása, op. cit., p. 342. 7 Signed L.H-i [Ludwig Hevesi]: Pester Briefe (Feuilleton), Pester Lloyd, 29 June 1871, Jhrg. 18, Nr. 150, p. 5. 8 Dr. Zoltán Pipics: Emlék Társulatunk múltjából (1862-1877) (Of the Past of our Memorial Society), Az OMKT évkönyve 1929, p. 129; Júlia Szabó: A Magyar Tudományos Akadémia és a 19. századi képzőművészet (The Hungarian Academy of Sciences and 19th-century Fine Arts), In: A Magyar Tudományos Akadémia és a művészetek a 19. században (eds.) Júlia Szabó and Valéria Majoros, Budapest, 1985, exhibition catalogue, p. 16. 9 Gusztáv Keleti: Ujabb müvek a tárlatban (Newer Exhibits), Fővárosi Lapok, 1871, No. 133; Vasárnapi Újság, 30 April 1871, No. 18, p. 225. 10 We know a version of the Japanese Woman with a composition identical to that of the one in the National Gallery. The size,
