{"id":29506,"date":"2021-10-14T11:21:17","date_gmt":"2021-10-14T11:21:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/?p=29506"},"modified":"2021-10-14T11:22:47","modified_gmt":"2021-10-14T11:22:47","slug":"calendars-of-the-nippon-exlibris-association","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.museunacional.cat\/en\/calendars-of-the-nippon-exlibris-association\/","title":{"rendered":"Calendars of the Nippon Exlibris Association"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Sandra Herrera and Yolanda Ruiz<\/h6>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The exhibition The Colours of Fire. Hamada \u2013 Artigas<\/a>, which can be visited at the museum until 9 January 2022, shows the connection between Catalonia and Japan through the story of friendship and mutual admiration between the artists Josep Llorens Artigas<\/a> (1892-1980) and Hamada Sh\u014dji<\/a> (1894-1978).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cultural exchange between Europe and Japan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Relations between Europe and Japan date back to the middle of the sixteenth century. The first European missionaries arrived in Japan during the Muromach<\/a>i period, but cultural exchange increased notably with Japan\u2019s opening up to trade during the Meiji<\/a> era and with its participation in the 1867 Universal Exposition in Paris, which gave rise to the appearance of Japonism<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The French capital was the starting point from where the passion for Japonism spread throughout Europe, taking root in Catalonia especially. In Barcelona it became obvious during the 1870s through the programming of shows and the importation of oriental arts and crafts. Furthermore, the participation of Japan in the Universal Exposition of 1888<\/a> in the city encouraged interest in Japanese art, and some Catalan artists, like Alexandre de Riquer<\/a> or Apel\u00b7les Mestres<\/a>, began collecting it. They purchased Japanese illustrated books, some of which are conserved in the Joaquim Folch i Torres Library<\/a>. We spoke about them in \u201cJaponism and its presence in the museum library\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Japanese books stamped \u201cAdquisici\u00f3 Riquer\u201d. Collection: Joaquim Folch i Torres Library<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Japanese<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Japanese books from the Apel\u00b7les Mestres Bequest. Collection: Joaquim Folch i Torres Library<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oliver H. Statler and the publication Modern Japanese Prints: an Art Reborn<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Oliver H. Statler (1915-2002) was an American collector specializing in Japanese art. During the Second World War<\/a> he was stationed in the Pacific. The war ended while he was on leave. Statler asked to rejoin his company, but his request was denied and he ended up joining the civilian service as an army financial administrator in Yokohama and Tokyo during the Occupation of Japan<\/a>, from 1947 to 1954.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Statler stayed in Japan for four years and he spent his time investigating and writing about the Japanese art that so fascinated him. Shortly after he arrived, he went to an exhibition of contemporary Japanese prints and fell in love with them. As a consequence he met many artists and devoted himself to collecting nearly a thousand prints that are now in the Art Institute of Chicago<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His passion became his study subject. In 1955 he gave a talk at The Asiatic Society of Japan<\/strong><\/a> and when his friend the writer James A. Micheler suggested to the publisher Charles E. Tuttle that he should publish a book of Japanese prints, the result was the publication of Modern Japanese Prints: an Art Reborn<\/em><\/a> (Tuttle, 1956), which you can consult in the museum\u2019s library.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Statler,<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Statler, O. Modern Japanese Prints: an Art Reborn<\/em>. Rutland: Charles E. Tuttle Co., [1956]. Collection: Joaquim Folch i Torres<\/a> Library<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The book expanded on Statler\u2019s talk and added a selection from among the 300 artists active at that moment who were members of the s\u014dsaku hanga<\/a><\/em> (\u5275\u4f5c \u7248\u753b, creative prints) movement. The author was aware that his choice would be controversial, but what he really intended was to motivate readers to follow in the footsteps of this movement all over the world and make their own choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S\u014dsaku hanga<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The s\u014dsaku hanga<\/em> artistic movement emerged in Japan at the beginning of the twentieth century, with the objective of placing the artist in the centre as the sole creator motivated by a desire for self-expression: I draw<\/em> (\u81ea\u753b jiga<\/em>), I engrave<\/em> (\u81ea \u523b jikoku<\/em>) and I print<\/em> (\u81ea \u5237 jizuri<\/em>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Yamamoto<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Yamamoto Kanae<\/a>. Fisherman<\/em> (\u6f01\u5e2b ryoushi<\/em>, 1904). Woodcut. Image extracted from Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n\n\n\n

S\u014dsaku hanga<\/em> shows itself to be opposed to the more collaborative concept promoted by shin-hanga<\/a><\/em> (\u65b0\u7248\u753b, new prints), which appeared in the 1910s with the aim of differentiating itself from ukiyo-e<\/a><\/em>, a more commercial art addressed to American buyers. The purpose of shin-hanga<\/em> is the creation of an ensemble work with the contribution of various professionals in the making of the print: designer, engraver, printer and publisher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Hashiguchi<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hashiguchi Goy\u014d<\/a>. Woman Bathing (<\/em>\u6d74\u5834\u306e\u5973, Yokuj\u014d no on’na<\/em>) (1915). Woodcut. Image extracted from Wikimedia Commons<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it was not only Europe showing its attraction for Japanese influence. This attraction went both ways and Japan also assimilated some Western influences. For example, the introduction of the exlibris<\/a> (bookplate), as it is understood in the West, despite the fact that, up to then, marks had been used in Japan that perfectly specified book ownership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The origins of bookplate print making in Japan<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Japanese passion for bookplate prints dates back to the early twentieth century when the Austrian artist Emile Orlik<\/a> published four of his works in the journal My\u014dj\u014d<\/a>. <\/em>Shortly after the publication of the prints, Orlik went to live in Japan and during his stay he took the opportunity to do drawings in ink, watercolours, pastels and washes, and to begin collecting Japanese art, including ukiyo-e<\/em> prints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Exlibris<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Exlibris created by Emile Orlik and published in the journal My\u014dj\u014d.<\/em> Extracted from: Eine Geschichte der B\u00fccherzaichen in Japan<\/em><\/a>. A: Deutsche Exlibris-Gesellschaft<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The bookplate fever that was generated in Japan led to the country\u2019s first bookplate association being founded in 1922: Nippon Zohyokai<\/strong>. The goal of the association, wound up for good in 1928, was to publicize the art of the bookplate in Japan and it led to the creation of the first bookplate by a Japanese artist in the 1930s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1933 the Japanese people\u2019s passion for bookplates flourished once again and a new association was created: Nippon Zoshohyo Kyokai<\/strong><\/a>, which went the same way as its predecessor and was wound up in 1939. Apart from these associations\u2019 ups and downs, in Japan a very active movement for the popularization of bookplate making has endured and lovers of bookplates began commissioning artists to design their own personal \u201cmarks\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the midst of this fever, in 1943 Taro Shimo decided to create the Nippon Exlibris Association<\/strong><\/a>, an association still active today despite the fact that its founder stepped down from the post of president in 1977 for health reasons. Shimo was succeeded one year later by Kazutoshi Sakamoyo, when the association had by then 1,400 members, including 120 living outside Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Exlibris<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Exlibris by Taro Shimo, creator and first president of the Nippon Exlibris Association (1943). Extracted from: http:\/\/art-exlibris.net\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between 1943 and 2020, the association distributed among its members a calendar formed of twelve exlibris woodcuts designed by different well-known artists. Although they use a simple colour range, the woodcuts achieve brilliant colourful illustrations. The exlibris were printed by hand. For this reason, the print run was very small and membership of the association was limited because their numbers had to be adapted to the production that could be made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Exlibris<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Exlibris by the Nippon Exlibris Association. Extracted from: http:\/\/art-exlibris.net\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The artists in the Nippon Exlibris Association<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The Joaquim Folch i Torres Library conserves a set of the calendars published by the Nippon Exlibris Association<\/strong> from 1960 to 1980, which contain the exlibris made by about 70 artists. Below, we list the artists whose work is in the virtual exhibition Japanese Exlibris<\/a><\/em>, which you can visit on the museum\u2019s webpage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n