Imre Jakabffy (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 3. (Budapest, 1975)

FERENCZY, László: Traditions and new trends in the Japanese art of the Meiji era

While in everyday life and at the exhibitions trends and artists supporting repudiated •artistic traditions were forcefully pushed into the background, soon after the beginnings of the great western orientation Fenollosa and Okakura Kakuzo started a movement for the re-discovery and revival -of the traditions of Japanese art. As a result •of the fight of opposing ideas a modern way of national art had gradually pushed itself into the foreground. These changes appeared primarily in painting and sculpture, while decorative arts proved much more conservative in spite of the fundamental changes that occurred in some branches as regards form, technique and purport, but they could not be left untouched by the general decay of artistic standards started already towards the end of the Tokugawa era. In Japan's life the Meiji era brought considerable changes with itself: the banishing of feudalism, a quick development and modernization of industry, the taking up of business relations with western countries after an almost impenetrable isolation, the -adoption of western research and production methods, laying down thereby the fundaments of the modern development of the country. All these changes, with getting acquainted with western culture and art in the first line, started revolutionary events also in the art world. The changes came mainly from two sources : the transformation of the old social structure of Japan, and the loss of the most important supporters of the artists and craftsmen with it, dropping at the same time old customs and objects that had been prevailing for centuries (like the sword, the netsuke and the inro). This meant, in final analysis, the loss of the patrons and of the reason of existence alike in several branches of handicrafts. This want was made up for partly by the arrival in growing numbers of foreign tourists and their readiness to collect objects of art, nad after a short lapse, the craftsmen could adapt themselves to the making of objects in demand, which, of course, also implied a drop in the level of quality. The other important mover of changes in art was — as mentioned — the strong influence of western art which kept spreading not only directly, but also in an indirect way through young artists returning from study trips to the West, as well. The decisive role of the mutual acquaintance with the other's art was played by the representative international world exhibitions in Europe and in the United States. The fact that Japan realized the importance of presenting Japan at such exhibitions is illustrated by her participation in not less than 15 exhibitions between 1873 and 1900. In compliance with the governmental administration of arts and the developing foreign trade, the Japanese Government of the time spent great sums on collecting representative material from various branches of art, to be sent abroad. In addition to making the European public acquainted with many branches of Japanese art, these objects of art also scored great success. In Hungary, for example, mounted police had to be called in to keep order among the visitors crowding to see the Japanese exhibition that had been presented in London the year before and was organized in the Museum of Industrial Arts in Budapest in 1911. In the first eight days the number of visitors amounted to fiftythousand. Approaching it from the historical aspect, the Vienna World Fair of 1873 was perhaps the most remarkable both to Japan and to Europe. The oriental country had been invited to participate in the Exhibition by a delegation of Austro-Hungary sent to Japan in 1809. The Japanese Government did their best in supporting the prépara-