13567

Bijinga- Genese, Konventionen und Wandel

Ruri Kawanami

Kommentar

The seminar delves into the genre of bijinga, focusing on its development from the late Edo period through the Meiji and Taisho periods in Japan. Bijinga, or images of beautiful (men and) women, have long been a subject of fascination and controversy, sparking scholarly debates about their nature and definitions. Although the concept of bijinga solidified during the Meiji period, in close association with the Nihonga movement and the institutionalization of “fine arts”, its visual imagery has its roots in the Edo ukiyo-e prints and was widely disseminated throughout the Meiji and Taisho periods in various media, such as illustrated magazines, postcards, and posters. By closely examining specific artworks as well as analyzing the production and reception contexts of artists such as Kitagawa Utamaro, Uemura Shoen, Kaburaki Kiyoshita, Ito Shinshui and Takehisa Yumeji, the seminar will explore how pictorial expression and conventions of beauty changed over time and across a range of mediums, including hand-painted ukiyo-e (nikuhitsu-ga), multi-colored woodblock prints (nishiki-e),Nihonga paintings, illustrations in literary texts (sashi-e, kuchi-e) and prints from the Shinhanga movement. The seminar encourages discussions that explore the complex relationship between the rise of the bijinga genre and the cultural and institutional landscape of the time, and aims to critically assess how, in an era characterized by a perceived “artistic warfare” (Okakura Kakuzo), feminine beauty became a cornerstone of the national aesthetic sensibility, challenging Western aesthetic ideals (c.f. Mizuta-Lippit) Topics such as the visual representation of the “Third Gender” (Mostow, Ikeda; 2016), as well as the discussions around nudity in Western-styled oil paintings, are covered to provide comprehensive contextualization. Schließen

13 Termine

Regelmäßige Termine der Lehrveranstaltung

Mi, 12:00 - 14:00 13 Termine

Mi, 17.04.2024 12:00 - 14:00

Dozenten:
Ruri Kawanami