New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-05-17
ART EXHIBITIONS
10 Genius of the. Japanese
Color Print.

Ispan Society or New horN. III soihe
De a, the Fifth Avenue Building this
r'o ,as placed on exhibition collection
100, onese color prints which fiNm its
s,Ianced character'is peculiarly fitted
seI,.I,,s the layman into difficult sub
" Tho series Of 2S6 prints, carrying the
-" ,rorn the earlier years Of the seven
't'O,o century 10 the middle years of the
ven" is representative in the best
INV :, the term. A greater number
s"s .sscapes. foral and other naturalistic
as might. perhaps. have legitimately
,r,mded. but these aspects Of the art
be" -, been neglected. Moreover-and
y" a very important point-the sub
ms chosen are shown in prints OF ex-
r.,rsrv brilliance. Here, in short. the
uS nav be observed at its best in all
s.ls American collectors have been
ss'",a in obtaining such pieces as are
.-sssnted-pieces in which the art OF
"" ..,or printer may be seen in its very
estate one might cite scores Of
'1-.dons. but IL Is enough TO call atten-
:, the blacks in Harunobu's Lovers
Nv. ,,,s in the Snow" (No. so. or 10 the
VS. passages in the background Of the
"V .,,ist's Lovers IN a Palace" (No.
ss" pv themselves these two notes are
az Is 10 explain why IL is that the Jap
e'V1s ,,,n, IS cherished for it's color-and
ne congratulate the Japan Society on
y. snecial beauty OF the specimens II has
.,,sa for this exhibition. To look at
IS n this sort is like looking at some
F-s,,ss Of Rembrandt or Whistler in par
',.,,.-lv fine impressions
- rs law stress upon the significance OF
-, chow for purposes Of instruction il is
,..,use where the Japanese print is con-
- instruction is sorely needed. Our
...n.,n,ance with the subject IS a very
-, affair. The late John La Fargo
lancer in the collecting Of Orientalia,
"a N enjoy telling how his interest in
,...,ese prints scandaHzed his contempt
..5.s forty-odd years ago. and he was
.-rsed. 100. by the exagserations Of the
.,s,,rs who by and by made n fad Of
r.,,.-n art. The fad. as fad, still en-
e and for one connolsseur who knows
=, he &c about there are probably
,s-Ad # not a thousand. well meaning
,,ivi6uals who affect a profound admira-
-, for thing which they like to believe
nae an esoteric charm and is. In some
~. more magical and more precious than
,.v,hine that ever came out Of the West.
=, Nc were 10 fudge from much Of the
.,,ssrse that has been written and talked
,.,ut the Japanese print the Elgin
-.r,iss are by comparison a little COM
,r,lace II has been not unnatural for
70 fp4n
., IN arprAhending the art Of the East
.s,v have had 10 accomplish visual and
-sntsl readiustment which is not by any
-..ns GAINED with ease. Really 10 under
eard The japanese print one must learn
.msthinF Ike an artistic language, and
II e not surprising If numbers Of those
vso have mastered but a few sentences,
8, IN say CJust enough 10 get along
with, have presumed upon their facility
r is Ike the Young American painter sud
ssr'v 90, down in Paris. For some time
rs convictions on the rre-eninence OF
french art and the French language are
beautiful 10 contemplate. 1nadue course
fs learns 10 see things in truer perspective
srd for example he sees that artistic
genius is. 1t bcttom. much the same all the
povld over That was A point on which
l. FARCE loved n dilate In his dealings
with the Jspanese print. He felt that
fundamentally the artist in japan or IN
I'slv went about his work with almost
Eentical principles. and he liked 70 show
rat the construction Of a japanese print
rss akin 20 that Of a modern landscape
PAINTED IN The West-only IN the latter we
fpg kind Of veil, woven out Of All our
rsys ~ thinking and feeling. over the
',sc clements Of form and color which the
lsranese artist leaves 70 speak for them
rres
u accept this hypothesis Is n clear The
f-'urd Of 4 good many distractions, and
s-eciany TO Do away with the hypaotiz,ng
ss,c, Of that notion TO which We have AL
uiv referred. that there is something
reric and. by the same token, miracu-
fs, about the Japanese print. Its CON
p-tion stares us IN the face. and hence
70 are likely 10 think that its convention
swe-ything. the key 70 which must neces-
saly be explicable only on very japanese
rounds. Let the student first look, rather,
|r what the convention is there for, at the
distance rather than at the form Of the
aanese print. lie will 10 struck by the
tu that these artists rest upon realism
an extent at first blush hard 10 reconcile
t,h their abstract mode Of delineation.
lrsv take their themes from life, and they
i've above all. at expression. Truth OF
iTm, truth OF movement. If gesture these
rs the things they have first In view.
Mere tie marvel occurs is i'm their get
nc what they seek without the sacrifice
y their convention Of form and color.
lat convention standing by itself as it
tsfe possesses remarkable beauty. Per
taps the uurest essence of the japanese
PINT might be best expressed IN an aoso-
,sy formal design. such as belongs 10
'ecoratiye arabesques in architecture, 10
'al paper. 10 Oriental rugs That Is 10
u. the mere web of line and form works
SEPARATE enchantment. But here )nes IN
ne Of the interesting distinctions between
ne East and the West. Japanese masters
ave their individ ualities. to be detected
matters Of form Of color and OF linear
'ransement. 10 say nothing Of the sub
.eues Of expression in the treatment OF
70 human figure, but line. as line. has not
90 PNgnantly autographlc significance
ma il has in the West. The japanese
'uH uses countless linear tricks, If we
.e' 50 call them, that are common TO his
20, where the line Of q Rembrandt. or
Ofer, Of an Ingres. IS as personal and
nmitable as a thumbprint. Let the
'eoeF test this at the Japan Society's ex-
s'hon. He will note divergences from
- type, but ne will see tfat, when all is
A he type remains.
W The other hand. he will come TO rec
'~1e with a deep admiration the exquisite
N@ and skill with which the different
ASers use their common denominator.
as linear convention Of theirs IS en-
",o Ike some garment, always preserv-
NE strength and beauty special TO itself