Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-03-14
JAPANESE PRINTS.
An Interesting Collection Now in the
Corcoran Gallery.

A large and interesting collection OF
Japanese prints, gotten together by Mr. So
go Matsumoto, a graduate Of Yale was put
on exhibition in the hemicycle OF the Cor
coran Gallery today. This collection con-
sists OF about Ave hundred prints. made by
fine great masters from the earliest days of
the art to the present time and 1t was
brought directly to this city from the
Teachers College Of Columbia University,
New York. where until the 9th It was on
exhibition and attracted very wide atten-
ton among students and connoisseurs.
James Mcneil Whistler claims to have been
the original western discoverer Of beauty In
the prints of Japan and 1t is well known
that his own work has been strongly IN
fuenced by the discovery. In converse
ton upon this subject with Mr.. Matsumoto
he said: "It is not the Japanese care for;
1t is of no consequence to me where these
prints were made or by whom: I am looking
for beauty, and when I find it I recognize
1t and accept it at it's true value
That Mr. Whistler is not alone in his APP
probation Of the Japanese prints, however,
is testified by the fact that today there are
more to be found in Europe and America
than in all Japan. and that a print which
twenty-five years ago sold Tor ten cents Is
now almost priceless. In measure the
collection Of Japanese prints has become
fad and 1t would be safe to say that a
large number Of those who have purchased
them have failed to discover the beauty
which Mr.. Whistler saw. but have rather
gotten them together after the manner OF
stamp collectors.
This blindness comes not so much through
impaired vision as through a misconcep-
ton of the purpose and purport of the
prints From the beginning they were not
Intended by their creators as works OF art,
but rather as illustration. as picture Ian
ror %1ro IL.
pied somewhat the same place Of our cheap
magazines. and were used either to afford a
passing moment of pleasure or to cover
hole in the wall. Thus. they must be re-
garded rather from a literary standpoint
than that Of the fine arts, or we must re-
turn to the early conception OF art as
language; the definition which no less an
authority than Ruskin has given OF It,
From this view point we find that the Japa-
nese artists have unauestionably excelled;
that each time they have told their story
inteliigently, clearly and concisely. But
that is not ali. There are In the creation OF
each print exquisite lines and harmonies
of color and 1T is these which appeal to
the trained eye OF the artist and critic. At
first to the casual observer. Ii Is true, these
charms are obscured by the unfamiliarity
and grotesqueness Of the subjects presented,
but a little study will reveal them. and once
found they are readily appreciated. Wood
cuts were executed in Japan for the first
time during the seventeenth century. and
within the first seventy-fiye years the best
work was done. Originally the prints were
monotints. then blocks were made for two
colors and later three, until in modern
times often ten or more are used. In the
eighteenth century, when many of the best
were made, vegetable colors were used, and
only about two or three hundred could be
printed from a block: in the nineteenth
century, however. the Dutch analine dyes
were introduced, together with Dutch
methods. which. while deterirating sthe
prints, made it possible to obtain double the
number.
It is of special interest to compare in
this collection the earlier with the later
prints; to note the change wrought by the
creeping in of western thought and the
loss Of the original strength and simplicity.
The influence OF the Chinese art may also
be traced in the very early work. a group
OF which will be found to the right of the
entrance to the gallery. On the opposite
side OF the straight wall and continuing
half way round the semi-circular one are
examples Of the work Of Hokusai and
Hiroshige. the two greatest landscape IL
Illustrators OF Japan, who lived about 1910,
and pictured accurately many interesting
scenes. The latter Travelled from city to
city for a considerable period, making draw
ings of each place he visited, and the prints
that are here shown are none other than
the reproductions Of the leaves Of his sketch
book. Next to these is a. group by Utamaro,
one Of the artists OF the eighteenth cen
fury. who took his subjects from nature
from home Me-in opposition to the prac-
tice Of his feilow-painter. Toyokunf whose
drawings generally represented scenes from
the drama or the actors OF that day. Fol-
lowing the work of the latter is group
Of prints Of the famous geisha girls done
by his pupil. known as Toyokuni III. and
after these in consecutive order are ex-
amples OF the more complicated compost
procession OF noble ladies Is specially
notable.
The collection WIN be on exhibition free
to the public until March Is.