Regarding lotusgreen: It is the sole name I use on Facebook, Twitter, Feedly, NetVibes, (Google Reader), Flickr, Ebay, Blogger, obviously, IMDB, YouTube, my bank online, Schwab online, Plaxo, Library Thing, Tune-in, IheartRadio, National Geographic (Discus), Pinterest, RadioLab, Stumbleupon, etc. This is just the ones on my bookmark toolbar. This is the name by which Everyone would find me. There is no other "first name last name" that anyone would know me by.
In addition to online, VitaminShoppe, Drugstore.com, Soap.com, and many others deliver packages to me under that name.
I hope there is a person reading this instead of just a machine.
Thank you.
Dear Mr. Lotus green. I'm a Japanese student researching Seitei Watanabe. Your article about Japonisme is really useful for me. I have some question about the article "three mans opinion" 11Jan09 .Can I contact you on Facebook or something? I send the same message few minutes ago, but it seems not posted.Thak you for your time. S.A Tokyo
ReplyDeleteHi S.A. You found me now! I would be very happy to give you any help you need, as long as I understand it myself!
ReplyDeleteDear Lotusgreen
DeleteThank you so much for your quick reply!
As I said I am researching Seitei.
I think Seitei didn't care about getting big in Japanese art circles in those days but he focused on to meet demand from western collectors.
So, I want to know how he admired or despised from western art fans and what he regarded in that era, as a painter? craft maker? illustrator?
Your article "three mans opinion" is very suggestive for me to think about that problem.
I searched those 3 articles which you picked up ,on digital library of academic journals, and library of my school. I could get Yone Noguchi's one,but I couldn't get the other 2.
Could you tell me the source of "Edward F. Strange 1906" and "Frank Brinkley 1902" ...the title of the books or journals and publisher?
I want to read these whole articles.
and I am of course pleased with hearing your opinion about Seitei.
I really appreciate your help.
again thank you so much !
S.A
Hi -- The Edward Strange (good name for him!) is here:https://archive.org/stream/colourprintsofja00stra#page/n9/mode/2up and the Brinkley is here: https://archive.org/stream/japanhistoryarts07briniala#page/n11/mode/2up . I'll tell you a little researching secret -- instead of just googling an author's name, google an excerpt from the piece instead. Just a phrase can be enough. That's how I just refound these two.
DeleteI agree, from what I have learned, that Seitei played to a western audience, but his work could come from nowhere but Japan. It speaks of his native culture even as he tries to create for another one. What do you think?
You might also want to read this one: http://lotusgreenfotos.blogspot.com/2008/07/my-favorites.html
ReplyDeleteDear lotusgreen
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate for your kindness.I could get them.thank you.
I don't know it will be the answer to you,but I think Seitei's faith as artist was strongly connected with "Do" . It is the same as Bu-Do (Samurai spirit),Sa-Do (Tea ceremony spirit) Ka-Do(flower arrangement). We had (have) "Do" on almost all school which teach traditional Japanese skills.I think many western people have ever heard about Ju-Do Ken-Do Karate-Do.
As you know we Japanese haven't have the word which stands for "art" till the beginning of Meiji era. We made a new word Bijutu to translate Art.Of course we don't have the concept itself. Painted scroll and partition was just a part of furniture. Ukiyo-e print was a journal. Japanese painters gradually understood what was art ,how artist should be,through the western style exhibition, art salon and art school. They changed their identity as a pious "Do" doers to sublime artist.I think Seitei had been proud as "Do" successor of Yosai Kikuchi. Yosai's guidance of paint was fit the needs of the time.
On the other hand, Seitei traveled around Europe earlier than the other Japanese painter, he also had confidence that his work had validity also in the concept of western art.
I will sometime visit your blogs
Best wishes
Sae
Sae-- That is quite remarkable, that there was not a word for art until the Meiji era! I know that when some of the first Americans came there, like Edward Morse, they found beautiful pottery just thrown away, sometimes, in mounds, or in the backs of barns. The Americans found the pottery very valuable and finally convinced the Japanese that it was valuable. At least that's what I've read. But that ties in perfectly with what you said, that scroll painting, for example, was just part of furniture.
ReplyDeleteI think I am learning more from you than you from me! I did not realize about Seitei's European travels. Very interesting.
I don't understand the concept of "Do" very well yet, and it is interesting to learn of Yosai Kikuchi.
Thank you.
Lily
Dear Lily
ReplyDeleteHere is an interesting episode during Seitei stayed in Paris and met some impressionist artist at Edmond de Goncour's place. P257
http://books.google.co.jp/books?id=NZt2oj5S-wQC&printsec=frontcover&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
I decided to research about Seitei after I read Goncour's Diary, Seitei might have gave a direct influence on early French impressionists.
But nowadays his name, his works, had almost disappeared from Japanese art history which we Japanese students learn at school.
I have to research more hard !
If you find Seitei's name on some old articles in English or French, please let me know .
Thank you
Sae
Isn't it interesting how artists are received in their own countries, and how it can change, up and down, over time. I know in Paris there is a bix exposition right now about the year 1900; I wonder if it will rekindle the interest in art nouveau and japonisme, because it seems to me that Seitei is a perfect representative of that moment.
ReplyDeleteI will read that link you sent -- thank you. Also, I will give you some of my favorite reference sites, just in case you don't have them (though you probably do). Also, have you done a search for his name on my blog? There may be more posts -- I don't really remember!
http://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?field1=ocr;q1=seitei;a=srchls;lmt=ft
this is also wonderful but I couldn't find listings for Seitei : https://archive.org/ which is particularly strange since I sent you two listings from there yesterday.
http://educators.mfa.org/search/site/%22watanabe%20seitei (this site is slow)
http://www.jaodb.com/db/SearchResults.asp
http://gallica.bnf.fr/Search?ArianeWireIndex=index&p=1&lang=EN&q=+watanabe+seitei&x=0&y=0
http://katalog.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/cgi-bin/search.cgi?sess=5673307516724c02ed2feccc3285efd0&start=1&pagesize=20&query=seitei%20watanabe&bestand=ext
Dear Lily
DeleteI checked all links which you let me know, through this weekend,I found some interesting articles about Seitei.
Many Seitei's paintings had burned in Japan , then it was so exciting work for me to find unknown paintings from European and American collection.
I really appreciate for your kindness.
Sae A
Sae! That's amazing! If you can reunite many of Seiti's images, many of which have not been seen in Japan for a long time, that might interest some publisher and you can write a book with all the images restored to one place.
ReplyDeleteLily
ReplyDeleteYes,Tokyo had a big earthquake in 1923, and it caused big fire all over the city,then 105,000 people died. Especially east area of Tokyo where Seitei's house and his big patron's house located had a fierce damage. Not only Seitei's,but the other artist's paintings in private collection had also lost because of the earthquake and WW2. Here in Japan,the research about the artists like Seitei who have been regarded as craftsman or illustrator, is not enough.
Western evaluation about Japanese art and artist always contrary to our expectation, my report might be something,in western academy someday.
Thank you.
Sae
Oh yes -- I know about the earthquake. Tragic. It has been fascinating communicating with you, Sae. Please continue to stay in touch anytime you'd like.
ReplyDeleteYou probably already know about him, but very important to this story, I think, was Robert Muller (Robert O. Muller). You can read about him here: http://shotei.com/articles/bobmuller/bobmuller.htm . Back in about 2005 or 2006, a big German auction house has an auction of his astonishing print collection, and one still will find, on many shin hanga prints, a comment that it came from his collection. There are some wonderful books on his collection too, ( http://www.amazon.com/Printed-Perfection-Twentieth-Japanese-Collection/dp/9074822738) (http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Wave-Twentieth-Century-Collection/dp/1870076192) and some major exhibitions. https://www.asia.si.edu/exhibitions/online/dreamWorlds/base.html .
I'm curious who else was considered to be "just an illustrator." Is it the whole shin hanga movement?
Lily
I'm reading this and most certainly am not a machine. Glad to have found you.
ReplyDeleteAre you alive? I miss Japonisme - even at the eternal age of 6.
ReplyDeleteAren't you sweet. Yes, alive -- thanks. And you?
Delete