Toyohara Kunichika's "Neo Edo" exhibition will be held at Aoyama Meguro, where Edo fantasy and a futuristic perspective intersect.
A solo exhibition of Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900) entitled "Neo Edo" will be held at Aoyama Meguro. Through approximately 35 works by Kunichika, an ukiyo-e artist active from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji era, you can enjoy a visual experience where "Edo" and "the future" intersect.
1)
From 25 January to 24 February, Aoyama Meguro will host a solo exhibition of Toyohara Kunichika (1835-1900) entitled 'Neo Edo'.
Kunichika was a ukiyo-e artist who worked from the end of the Edo period to the Meiji era.
He is best known for his depictions of kabuki actors, which feature vivid features, vivid colours, and the technique of placing actors in dramatic poses on 'large-headed' pictures and long horizontal screens, which can be said to have predicted the dynamic compositions that would later influence film.
2)
In addition to the simple depiction of Kabuki, Kunichika's works were also popular with the public for their realistic depictions of backstage scenes in "dressing room pictures," similar to the modern "oshikatsu" (support of an actor).
There are currently over 13,000 paintings, but after his death, the actors he portrayed were forgotten, and his works went unappreciated for a long time. One reason for this is that his works did not meet the standards of ukiyo-e appreciation, especially in the West.
3)
This exhibition will introduce the new perspectives and advanced approaches of Kunichika's work. Amid the increasing Westernization of the Meiji period, Kunichika focused on the "Edo" motif and developed a "retro-pop" aesthetic that reconstructed the past into a futuristic one.
His works are not limited to nostalgia but also merge with the technological innovations of the time to pursue an innovative expression. Kunichika's paintings, with their exaggerated facial expressions, flashy battle scenes and glamorous depictions of tattoos, have a kitschy feel reminiscent of modern street art, pop art and animation.
4)
Through about 35 of Kunichika's woodblock prints, this exhibition will provide a visual experience of the intersection of "Edo" and the "future" he depicted.
Related exhibitions will also be held at the Kawasaki Ukiyo-e Gallery (5 January—9 February), the Seikado Bunko Art Museum (25 January—23 March), and the Ota Memorial Museum of Art (1 February—26 March) to commemorate the 190th anniversary of Kunichika's birth.
We hope you will take this opportunity to experience the rich expressiveness and cutting-edge aesthetic of Kunichika's works.
Toyohara Kunichika's "Neo Edo" exhibition will be held at Aoyama Meguro, where Edo fantasy and a futuristic perspective intersect.
https://bijutsutecho.com/magazine/news/exhibition/30108
