Japanese Gallery (Honkan) Room T2
February 5, 2008 (Tue) - March 16, 2008 (Sun)
During the late Edo (1603-1868) and early Meiji (1868-1912) periods the government hired many Westerners as advisers, teachers, and engineers in an effort to transform the country into a modern state. They were known as "Oyatoi Gaikokujin (hired foreigners)."
The painter Antonio Fontanesi and sculptor Vincenzo Ragusa were among the notable artists who contributed to the establishment of Japanese modern art. They were invited to teach at the Technical Fine Arts School, founded in 1876 as the first governmental institute for European art education. The government sought to develop the use of Western fine arts techniques to decorate European style architecture. However, the school was closed after 7 years due to financial difficulty and the rise of nationalism. Nevertheless, the contributions of Fontanesi and others surpassed the government's original intentions and greatly influenced subsequent developments in Japanese modern art.
This display features Italian copperplate prints used as teaching materials, oil paintings and sketches by Fontanesi, as well as student works. It reveals the early development of modern art in Japan and includes works being exhibited for the first time.
Major works in this exhibition
