Looking East: Western Artists and the Allure of Japan from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Setagaya Art Museum)

(Translated by Google Translate)

By the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston is known for rich collection of Japanese art, exhibition on the theme of Japonism.

Highlight of the exhibition, La Japonezu of Monet. Recently, and that he just finished the repair.

The theme of Japonism,, as I always say, in a production introduction, art books and on TV, work which I have seen time and time again.

Surprisingly, it is a huge piece 2.3 meters length, 1.4 meters of side, in the back most of the special room, the real thing, are on display reverently.

Red color is bright, it'll wait a kimono figure of the samurai was embroidered beautifully, wife of Monet, Camille. In her hand, fans have been opened, the wall behind, decorated and ukiyo-e, a number of fans are arranged.

Literally, colored by Japan hobby, brilliant work. But depending on how you look at it, I mean have no principles a little, can be called the bad taste.

In later years, for this work, Monet himself, that was not very good evaluation.

From Japan of the early Meiji period, composition of ukiyo-e, which was transmitted to Europe, had a major impact on painters who had been active in Paris at the time. Seems work Lautrec, Van Gogh, Bernard, Denis, Renoir et al, became the reference, are on display alongside the ukiyo-e.

And thus will be exhibited side by side, the effect is obvious. It also is said or rather stole almost, and mimicry, as the allow of no excuse.

Among them, there is not associated with words such as Matisse and Munch, much of Japonism, also works of surprising writer.

Landscape that appears in the picture of Munch, the trees along the lake are lined. Colorful paintings planar of Matisse. They, that there is influence of ukiyo-e clearly.

At the end of the hall, water lilies of Monet was exhibited. It does not appear to look closely approaching, just chunks of paint is only as Simply put.

If you look at the picture at a distance, without a doubt, water lilies of Monet appears. Though, it is even like a magic.

If you have arrived at such a frontier, from Monet in his later years, works painted in his youth, called La Japonezu might seemed to work worthless.