The Washington times., 1905-10-29

I lists names, it will be seen that the
period Of activity OF the great nishiki-ye
makers is very well covered, and most
of the great men are represented. The col
lection shows well the charms of these
artists The prints are usually in good
condition and most of them are exquis-
ite- AS they cannot be discussed sep
arateiy. only few general remarks
viii be attempted
What the Prints Mean.
1t Is often asked. what do these Jap
anese prints meant The object of the
artist nearly always Is to present
single, fcrcibie impression by the sim
plest means possible. But they are full
OF the most subtle charm. The Japan
csc are masters in the arrangement OF
the masses. both OF black and white
and color. In their pictures. and they
have never been exceiIed in their COM
prehension of line rhythm. The graceful
flow of line in the prints of Harunobu.
| Kiyonaga. Outamaro. and Yeizan cannot
fail to bring Joy to anyone who can
feel such beauty. The subtle harmonies
of color attained by all the masters
seem TO have been the work of wizards.
Take as examples Harunobu, Kiyonaga
si4a 1OSOkl1i IN MS DSSl WORKOUT
these are not the only ones.
| The nishiki-ye makers loved to pre-
sent not only the human figure clad in
| flowing garments of exquisite color
they loved also the birds. the flowers.
the dropping branches OF the weeping
willow and the pendants of wistaria-the
spring, the summer. the autumn. the
winter. They have keenly felt every
phase of nature and perceived its beau
". This beauty they have been able
to render through nishiki-ye.
jap Poetess on Nature.
The Japanese poetess Sci Shonag gon
sSys OF the Japanese landscapes: u
| love in the spring to watch the morn
ing glow grow gradually whittier and
whittier. until a fine. rosy veil crowns the
tips OF the mountains, while thin
streaks Of purple clouds hover above.
In the summer time ! love the night,
not only when the moon is shining
brightly. hut the black. black night.
when the fire-llies cross one another in
their whirling. dizzy fight, or when n
soft rain falls
In the autumn, IL Is the beauty OF
the evening that moves me most. as
/ see the storks going in two's, three's
or four's to their roosts, while the sink
ing sun shoots its rays far away and
draws nearer and nearer to the noun
tains rim. And still more enchanting
is il TO follow the lire OF flying wild
geese. and see how they become
smaller and smaller with increasing
! distance. And after the sun has gone
down. how ny heart beats at the chirp-
ing Of the crickets and the soft breath
ing of the wind.
I'm winter. oh, how beautiful the
snow, But I also love the glistening
hoarfrost. and the cold that numbs
ones limbs
Deep Appreciation of Beauty.
rIiroshige has given. through his
prints. many phases of the Japanese
landscape. Interpreted with the keenest
and deepest appreciation of it's beauties
The exhibition at the Cosmos Club con-
tains a number of his most exquisite
things; n bird and the apple blossoms.
Sarahashi by moonlight. Full and the
blossoms, the willows by moonlight,
two views of temples in the snow. a
cold winter morning. and several
others.
The art OF nishiki-ye possesses still
another interest, because II has ex-
ercised so strong an influence on many
I-ulOpcdA dIGStS, some OF
whom are Whistler, Monet. Manet and
Degas- Whistler's Princess of the
Land of Porcelaine" is unreservedly
under Japanese influence, and it can
be traced in his portraits of his mother,
Carlyle. Miss Alexander and others of
his paintings.
Fear that japanese art might exert
an injurious influence on European art
has sometimes been expressed. but an
art that has for its ideals simple and
direct expression. beautiful arrange
ment of masses. perfect rhythm of
line and the most exquisite color har-
monies cannot cause retrogression.
1t has been decided to keep the exni-
bition open from Monday until Satur-
day, OF this week. between the hours of
u and in the afternoon.