The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-10-01
SNaPANESE PAINTINGS
M on Free Exhibition on
Spring Street
TWASABURO TSUKAMOTO
May Be q Little Brown Man of the
Orient,
Enterprising Firm Which Has Re-
ceived the Pictures

Business mon, as a rule, have little
time In business hours to devote to mat
tiers other than those attached to stiios
business. Seldom, indeed, is the rule
broken. Politeness, personal attention
to and interest in a customer is by no
means infrequent-indeed. these may be
defined as business, and consequently
generally approved policies-a trifle
different from the mere quotation of
prices or the filling of an order, perhaps,
but mono the less part of the stern bust
ness methods employed by the merchant
and his employees. Messrs. A. Ham
burger & Sons. the proprietors of the
Peoples store, 135-145 North Spring
street, have ideas of their own upon this
matter, and from time to time, as oppor-
tunity affords. put them into effect. 1t
was not so very long ago that this enter
plising firm procured for free exhibition
in the center of it's immense ground floor
. large statue of Ida Rehan, the actress,
of solid silver, resting upon solid gold
base, it having been an exhibit from
Montana at the worlds fair. 1t entailed
. large expense upon Messrs. Hamburger
& Sons, but it pleased their customers.
It was relief from the monotony of
shopping to take convenient seat and
gaze upon and study the beauties of
WORK OF art such as was the silver Ada
Rehan statue. The amenity ofsthe pro-
prietors was appreciated by thousands
and now again these gentlemen come for
ward with a unique and entirely free
exhibition, and one that will afford
pleasure to students of art and history
by the many hundreds. The exhibit
consists of magnificent etagier of carved
ebony and six large oil paintings,S the
work of Japanese artist, representing
scenes and incidents of the late Chinese
Japanese W ar.
The six paintings now on exhibition
at the Peoples store represent scenes from
the late war between Japan and China
and have never been exhibited before out
side OF the city of Toxic. where they were
specially placed before the royal family
and were afterwards viewed by hundreds
of thousands of the people of Japan, be
coming the sensation of the time. :The
paintings are from the brush Of Twasa-
buro Tsukamoto, the foremost artist in
Japan, who received his art education
under the great masters of Europe. The
artist was especially detailed by the en-
peror to accompany the army during the
late war with the view of compiling the
works which the Los Angeles public has
the first opportunity to inspect. There are
no duplicates of the paintings in exist
ence. The subjects are as follows: The
battle OF Ford An Song III which Captain
Matsuzaki lost his life, July 90. 1894.
This il large canvas, as indeed are all OF
The series. The action of the men and
horses IS perhaps the most noticeable fea-
ture, though the good qualities of the
picture are not alone confined to this.
The drawing is good, the coloring ia good
and the frush has been appl:eI freely,
almost carelessly. Through it all, how
ever, can be discovered the hand of the
bo ~ IN.
but certainly that of an artist even
though he be 'little brown man of the
Orient" This picture is possibly the best
of the six.
The famous Gammu Gate Depicts the
thrilling event at that place, when the
hero of the war scales the walls before
Gammu and Staying the Chinese sentinels
at their posts throws open the massive
gates to the victorious japanese army.
The determination of 800 Manchur an
shows horizon bounded by trees half
hidden in the haze and smoke of war;
fare. In the green field foreground are
the braves, each one riding white horse
in deadly conflict with the foemen, who
also are mounted. IL is realistic and re-
minds one of the work of Veraschagin,
the great Russian painter.
Four troopers reconnolter Shun Kwa,
August 10. 1894. This shows field with
the grass lush and heavy, hidden IN which
are two groups of Chinese soldiers creep
ing towards the mounted Japanese SOL
diers, who. sitting upon horses. are aware
of the threatened danger and whoss arms
are ready for instant duty.
Another excellent canvas. done princi-
paily in drab and the lighter brown
tones. is the Korean trops firing at the
Japanese escort of Tai Won Kun. 1t
takes but glance at the brown earth
road, the native dwellings and the dusty
shrubbery to convince one that the pic
ture is accurate. The movement of the
troop is spirited and the atmospheric
effects good.
Somber in treatment, as well BELTS it.
is the attack on Phog Yang. The leaden
sky is pouring rain, and through it ad-
vancss the column of japanese infantry,
slowly, but with grim determination. A
bit of color here and there gives relief to
the whole. This, perhaps, is the least
meritorious of the series, but even this
is not without qualities that will appeal
to many. That the japanese artist should
attempt to depict heavy RAINFALL u
something that rarely. if ever, has been
faithfully done by Caucasian, shows at
least his courage.
Taken as whole the canvases are dis
tinctive, but not distnctively Japanese.
From the painting, such as may be seen
upon Chicago Burlington and Quincy
from the hands of a Turner, or from a
Messonier. or a Detaille, is certainly a
long step, but Mr.. Tsukamoto's drawing
is very accurate and his oolors, lily
we'll selected, are applied with a free
brush. He uses considerable blue in his
foliage. always an indication of color ap-
probation, and his atmosphere is by no
means wanting in merit These six
paintings, the large and handsome ebony
etsgier and a handsome collection OF
swords and cabbards, are dstrlb uted
through the many departments of the
Peoples store, where for u lin tied time
the public is invited to inspect them.