Overseas reception of modern Japanese prints : between the early Showa period and the postwar Allied Occupation

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The purpose of this research was to examine the ways in which modern Japanese prints were received by Western countries during the period between the early Showa period and the postwar Allied Occupation. To this end, I have focused on two topics and obtained the following results :1. 'Overseas exhibitions of Japanese prints during the early Showa period' : I have researched exhibitions of modern Japanese prints held in Europe and the US between 1934 and 1937. I have collated the lists of works exhibited and examined details of the exhibitions and local responses to them. From the various documents, I have established that the Creative Print artists, who had always maintained that their art was distinct from the traditional ukiyo-e prints, in fact adopted a strategy of presenting their works as a continuation of ukiyo-e. This led to a significant success at the 1934 Paris exhibition. However, within Japan. Creative Prints were still considered as minor art.2. American collectors during the Occupation period' : I have established the process through which some key American collectors among the Occupation personnel became acquainted with Creative Print artists. I have also found that these American collectors(such as William Hartnett and Oliver Staler)played a significant part in the rapid recognition of Japanese prints on the international stage. Their promotional activities such as publications and exhibitions resulted in the international recognition of modern Japanese prints, which in turn contributed to their recognition within Japan.These results will provide an important basis for the future study of the history of modern Japanese prints. They will also benefit the study of the roles that Japanese prints have played in the international context, and in the reconsideration of artistic and cultural particularities that are inherent in Japanese prints.