Page:The Building News and Engineering Journal, Volume 22, 1872.djvu/239

 ESS Marca 15, 1872. THE BUILDING NEWS. 221 JAPANESE ART. N Friday evening last Mr. G. A. Audsley, of Liverpool, read a paper before the members of the Architectural Association, entitled ‘“ Notes on Japanese Art,” Mr. Rowland Plumbe in the chair. After some preliminary observations, in the course of which he said he had made the subject his study for several years, and had examined all the collec- tions of Japanese art works in this and other European countries, Mr. Audsley said that Japanese art has characteristics peculiarly its own, which dis- tinguish it from the arts of all the other nations of the East. Casting our eyes upon the map of the world, and noting the position of the two countries, Japan and China, we should reasonably suppose that great affinity would exist between the manners and customs, and consequently between the arts, of the two countries. We are surprised to find that there is really no sympathy, and but few outward marks of resemblance, observable in their respective works. In the manipulation of their works, even when the materials employed are identical, there are so many and important differences that one might suppose wide oceans and untravelled continents stretched their barriers between the two countries. There can be little doubt that intercourse existed in some form between China and Japan long before the western traders attempted to open communication with the latter country: but a survey of the art pro- ductions of both nations fails to prove a copyism on one side or the other. This may be accounted for in this way :—The Chinese have always been too conservative and conceited to learn from others, believing all the world wrong, and right to be found only in their own empire; while the Japanese, although ready to benefit from the superior know- ledge and attainments of those they came in contact with, found very little in the Chinese from which they could gain useful lessons. Their own arts and manufactures were equal to, and in many instances in advance of, those of the Chinese, and their taste, cultivated by their appreciation of the beauties of | Nature, was more correct and refined than that dis- played by the artists of the Celestial Empire. The Japanese haye, for thousands of years, worshipped at Nature’s shrine, watching her every movement, and noting every change of mood and costume with a loving eye, until each detail of her marvellous handiwork, and each expression of her changeful face, are imprinted on their minds, to be transferred to every work they set their hands todo. Though these words may seem strong, a careful study of Japanese art will lead to the conviction that the Japanese artist is, perhaps more than any other, a devoted worshipper of Nature, and delights in nothing so much as in depicting her works. In the animal and vegetable worlds he is ever seeking for expressive action, or lovely forms and combinations of colour; and when satisfied with his research, how boldly and truthfully he depicts what has pleased his fancy, sometimes with his thumb and finger dipped in ink; sometimes with double brushes held in one hand, and used together with marvellous dexterity ; or, sometimes, with a laboured delicacy which makes us attempt to caleulate the time ex- pended, and, as is most frequently the case, break down in the calculations Another remarkable trait in the character of the Japanese artist is his keen appreciation and, indeed, intense love for the humorous and grotesque. This is evidenced in his drawings, and more particularly in his ivory carvings This fancy leads him very often into broad ‘carica- ture, and into the representation of positively inde- cent subjects. Of all the objects adopted by the Japanese artist for ornamentation, the most beautiful are birds and flowers, and those over which he is least artistic are human figures. It appears that in depicting the human form, the artist acknowledges some rules which restrict his fancy and neutralise his accurate observation. He submits to a conyention- alised type, and goes on in one groove all his days. Notwithstanding this fact, great power and breadth of treatment is observable in his drawing of drapery, and in many instances one observes that action and pose have been well considered and carefully rendered. In colouring, the Japanese are, generally speaking, very skilful, adopting a quiet and refined style, and using full low-toned colours in preference to excessively brilliant ones. In this they differ from their neighbours, the Chinese. Not that the Japanese artists do not use bright colours, for few men know their value better, but they use them judiciously, and in comparatively small pro- portions, cleverly supporting and contrasting them with the secondaries and other compound colours they use in grounds and large masses generally. Much as we may admire the marvellous skill and delicacy of manipulation the art-works of Japan dis- exquisite feeling set forth in the designs of their ornamentation, and it is rarely that one can detect any hardness imparted to the designs through their laboured execution. This clearly proves that the workman is in all cases the artist, and that he is not merely reproducing in his peculiar material the designs created by the fancy of others. In Japan, therefore, we find in every branch of art manufac- ture what we so much want in our own land—the artist workman. Combined with his artistic feeling, the artizan of Japan shows the greatest skill in ma- nipulating the almost countless materials he presses into his service. We are informed that his tools are few and of the'simplest description ; and an inspection of the collection of native implements in Siebold’s Museum, at Leyden, certainly corroborates this statement. It is a matter, therefore, of no small wonder how the Japanese workman can produce such absolute perfection of finish. The greatest possible dexterity of hand must be cultivated along with accuracy of eye; and time, that bugbear of the West, must be held in small account in the pro- duction of his art works. In drawing and sketch- ing from Nature, one observes a great amount of graphic power and freedom, every line and touch doing its duty, and proving that the artist is per- fectly at home in his art, and conversant with every detail of his subject. Sometimes scarcely any time or labour is bestowed on the drawing, a few touches cleverly portraying the object desired. As an instance of this, a gentleman who resided in Japan once informed the author that he watched a painter at work, and being struck with his wonder- ful freedom of hand and ready power of delineation, requested him to draw a bunch of grapes. To his surprise, the artist instantly seized a piece of paper, and dipping the point of his thumb into a dish of ink, proceeded to make a number of softly-shaded crescent-like forms close together. Thinking he was misunderstood, but saying nothing, he watched with interest the rapid movements of his artistic curiosity. The crescent forms being finished, the first finger and thumb both went into the ink, and then, trans- ferred to the paper, as quick as lightning produced two smudges of irregular form. His thumb nail next added three dark lines, and sundry other trifling touches, and behold, the drawing was finished, and when held up showed a well-formed bunch of plump round grapes, with leaves and stalks complete. The power of delineation displayed by Japanese ar- tists is unquestionably great, and although, as in the case just referred to, they sometimes resort to careless and off-hand methods, they can display the greatest delicacy of touch, combined with the most perfect freedom. The Japanese artists delight in vegetation of all kinds, and never seem tired of de- picting trees, flowers, and fruit, in every depart- ment of their works. Whenever we find these ob- jects we cannot help remarking how truthfully they are drawn, and how well their peculiar habits are expressed. We do not notice this alone in the re- presentation of noble trees and beautiful flowers, but equally so when only a few blades of grass are shown, crushed down by some passing foot, bent by the wind, or waving in careless grace in the gentle summer air. It seems strange that so much could be told by half a dozen up and down brush strokes as is plainly told in the simplest Japanese sketch ; but let the artist have a clear idea to set forth and he will never fail to do so, even in so humble a ma- terial as a grass blade. Nothing can exceed the grace infused into ttheir representations of grasses, wild flowers, and creeping plants. Let any one who questions this examine their ordinary illustrated books, or the paintings often found on their beau- tiful Satsuma ware. With such materials as grasses and creepers they seek to display the graceful neg- ligence of Nature. When they desire to show her strength and vigour, they depict the stately iris with its erect sword blades and curling plumes; when they wish to show her lavish richness, they throw down showers of long drooping purple racemes, or cover the picture with a profusion of giant chrysanthemums, or the beautiful rose-like flowers which are so much prized by the Japanese. In addition to the flowers mentioned, the lily, the lotus, the carnation, the convolvulus, and numerous other creeping plants are very commonly repre- sented. Trees are also favourite subjects with Japanese artists; and those most frequently observed are the palm, the fir, a tree bearing dense masses of white flowers, and another of a spiky character, bearing white flowers and _ pink buds. The native name of the last tree is Oumai. Perhaps of all the trees the fir is most often used, and the reason for this may be that it is held in considerable esteem on account of its constant ver- dure, and the great age which it is supposed to attain before it dies. Equally with the fir, the bamboo is play, we are constrained to more fully admire the | much used for decorative purposes, and is held in similar veneration. The straight ascending habit of the bamboo, rendered unmonotonou: by its frequent jointings, and its effective crown of foliage, have no doubt been the principal inducements for the artists to adopt it, and they certainly make good use of it, depicting its jointed stem, with an occasional leaf, on narrow upright spaces or such-like, and its spreading foliage and graceful leaves on panels or other broad fields. By all accounts, the Japanese are passionately fond of dwarfed trees and shrubs, and their gardeners are remarkably skilful in the art of dwarfing. Such things as perfect trees, full of foliage and blossom, only a few inches high, are not uncommon. Meylan is stated to have seen in Japan, in the year 1826, abox 4in. long, 13in. wide, and about 6in. high, in which were growing, and in healthy condition, a fir, a bamboo, and aplum-tree in full blossom. In the minia- ture gardens which are commonly attached to the better-class houses in the towns, dwarf trees, a few feet high, are usual objects. This taste for dwarfing has led to the diametrically opposite taste for unna- turally increasing the size of trees and flowers. Firs are reported to be seen in the country of gigantic proportions, and some fruit-bearing trees with blossoms as large as good sized cabbages. Vegetables are likewise cultivated until they attain enormous size. The Japanese also delight in bouquets of flowers and branches, with which they ornament the interior of their simply-ordered apartments on all festive occasions. The Japanese construct their bouquets decidedly in a more artistic manner than does any other nation under the sun. They do not arrange a number of similar flowers symmetrically round some important centre one, and then a row of leaves of exactly one shape, and then another circle of flowers, and so on, until the approved size is obtained, and surrounded with its outer edging of paper lace. ,No, they have studied Nature-formed bouquets too long to seek to make a head of cauli- flower their type for such an article. They fre- quently represent bouquets on works of porcelain and lacquer, and charming objects they always are. Dwarf trees and clusters of giant flowers are asso- ciated together without the least attempt at symme- trical arrangement; indeed, anything like uniformity or balance is studiously avoided in these groupings. A piece of bamboo sometimes rises vertically from amidst the flowers, with a stray leaf or two of its own, a delicate creeper twining round it, or a slender branch of some choice plant stuck through a hole in its side and deriving moisture from water contained within ; or, when the bamboo is of considerable size, with a perfect miniature fir or oak tree planted in soil contained in the top joint, and flourishing as luxuriantly in its way as its friends of the mountain. So far, we have a picture of the mild type of Japanese bouquets, but there is another which may be termed the wild type, and the most charming and artistic. This consists of dwarf trees, gigantean flowers, bamboo, &e., as before, with the startling addition of the most contorted and gnarled branches which badly brought-up trees might be expected to supply. These branches are sometimes devoid of foliage, or at others, carry quaint tufts at their extremities, and, being so fantastically twisted, they wander about the bouquet in the most erratic manner, or, when of an independent turn, strike o ff, tufts and all, yards from the vase in which they are planted. Nothing can exceed the taste and skill displayed by the Japanese in the arrangement of bouquets of the wild type, and bearing in mind their powers of dwarfing and enlarging, probably these are not always cut bouquets, but miniature gardens, with every branch and flower having a substantial interest in the soil filling the vases from which they spring. Their bouquets are satisfactory proofs of the innate taste of the Japanese for irregularity in art, and graceful freedom as displayed by natural objects. They would as soon think of clipping box or holly bushes into the forms of uneasy chairs, trun- cated-cones, or peacocks—as our Elizabethan ancestors did—as they would of trying to turn these articles into the likeness of a natural shrub; and it is a very good thing for their arts that such is the case. The sooner our decorative artists take a leaf out of their book, and learn that itis not ne- cessary at all times to have both halves of a thing exactly the same, nor that there must always be an accurate division and similarity of parts in a de- sign, the better ; and it is to be hoped that it will be a long time before the Japanese artist will be cor- rupted by these or other Renaissance ideas. When he is, we may bid good-bye to all that is great in his works. ‘The Japanese adopt a great variety of conventionalised floral forms in the construction of diapers, powderings, and such-like enrichments, where they cleverly combine them with purely geometrical patterns, Next to vegetation, the artists of Japan are most skilled in the representa- tion of birds, and they appear to have an equal