thePULSEMASTERPIECES NARROW GLIMPSES INTO JAPANESE LIFE, LEGENDS,AND
LITERATURE
September 2005 – It has often been said that the Japanese have
a penchant for doing everything just the opposite of Americans. They live
on the opposite side of the world, they drive on the opposite side of
the road, they even read and write in the opposite direction. The current
exhibition at the Worcester Art Museum serves as another example of this
trait. These magnificent, long, narrow, colorful 18-19th century woodblock
prints were produced specifically to be displayed not inside, but rather
on the outside of a house.
And this intended exposure to the elements is what makes WAM’s
collection so rare. Because these relatively inexpensive posters were
either glued or nailed to exterior pillars and posts, they eventually
faded or wore out and were then discarded. Fortunately, in 1901, one of
the museum’s early benefactors, John Chandler Bancroft, bequeathed
over 3000 Japanese prints – including some 60 rare pillar prints
or hashira-e. Over the years one or two of them would be brought out for
public view, but most have remained in storage until now. Curator of Asian
Art Louise Virgin has chosen 26 examples from Japan’s finest artists/printmakers
and has displayed them in several significant groupings. She has also
prepared informative didactic panels for each work.
Foremost in the exhibit is a work by Okumura Masanobu (1686-1764), who
claimed to be the originator of pillar prints. Forcefully carved from
a block of wood and inked in black, we see the grim figure of “Zhong
Kui the Demon Queller” as he purposefully stalks his prey. This
Chinese mythical character was so popular in Japan during that era that
Virgin has included several other objects that also show him in action.
The grouping of works showing courtesans is filled with all kinds of
subtle nuances that Japanese of the day would readily recognize. The type
of kimono, the utensils, the patterns on the folding screens all had meaning.
And there was a certain bit of lasciviousness in many of the images –
even though they were hanging outside a house. In one image we see two
partly obscured men peeking in a window at a young woman writing a letter.
In another seemingly innocuous image of a girl looking out at a garden,
in the background we see the leg of her sleeping client.
A pair of prints depict a scene from the famous Japanese play “Chushingura,”
about the famous vendetta of the 47 Ronin. Isoda Koryusai (1735-90) shows
the act as it is with the hero reading a secret letter as he is being
spied upon from both above and below. A few years later, Torii Kiyonaga
(1752- 1815) produced a parody of the teahouse scene in which the letter-
reading hero is now shown as a girl and the spy below is looking up her
skirt.
Koryusai also parodied himself. In another pair of prints we see the
“Seven Gods of Good Fortune,” including the roly-poly god
of happiness Hotei, Benten the goddess of music, art, and love, and others.
His parody shows not gods but rather male and female geisha on their way
to an entertainment festival. These works, like the others on exhibit,
are densely decorated with much attention to detail, rich use of color
(remember each color requires its own woodblock), specific intricate patterns
and florals relating to seasons or months, and an inherent knowledge of
composition specifically related to this very narrow format. Give yourself
plenty of time to really look at each print.
DETAILS
What: Pillar-Print Masterpieces: Narrow Glimpses into
Japanese Life, Legends, and Literature
Where: Worcester Art Museum, 55 Salisbury Street
When: Through January 21, 2006
Call: 508-799-4406
