Uemura Shōen | |
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 Uemura Shōen | |
| Born | Uemura Tsune April 23, 1875 Kyoto, Japan |
| Died | August 27, 1949(1949-08-27) (aged 74) |
| Known for | Painter |
| Movement | Nihonga |
| Awards | Order of Culture |
Uemura Shōen (上村 松園; April 23, 1875 – August 27, 1949) was thepseudonym of an artist inMeiji,Taishō and earlyShōwa periodJapanese painting. Her real name was Uemura Tsune. Shōen was known primarily for herbijin-ga, or paintings of beautiful women, in thenihonga style, although she produced numerous works on historical themes and traditional subjects. Shōen is considered a major innovator in the bijin-ga genre despite the fact she often still used it to depict the traditional beauty standards of women. Bijin-ga gained criticism during the Taisho era while Shōen worked due to its lack of evolution to reflect the more modern statuses of women in Japan. During bijin-ga's conception in theTokugawa, or Edo, period, women were regarded as lower class citizens and the genre often reflected this implication onto its female subjects. Within the Taisho era, women had made several advancements into the Japanese workforce, and artistry specifically was becoming more popular outside of pass times for the elite, which opened way for Shōen's success.[1] Shōen received many awards and forms of recognition during her lifetime within Japan, being the first female recipient of theOrder of Culture award, as well as being hired as theImperial Household's official artist, which had previously only employed one other official woman in the position.[2] In 1949 she died of cancer just a year after receiving the Order of Culture Award.[3]
Shōen was born inShimogyō-ku, Kyoto, as the second daughter of atea merchant. She was born two months after the death of her father and, thus, grew up with her mother and aunts in an all-female household. Her mother's tea shop attracted a refined, cultured clientele for the art of Japanesetea ceremony. As a child at age 12 (1887), Shōen drew pictures and exhibited considerable skill at drawing human figures. By the age of 15 (1890) she was exhibiting her work and winning awards in official art contests as well as commissioning work for private patrons.[3] She became obsessed with theukiyo-e, Japanese woodblock print, works ofHokusai. Her mother supported her decision to pursue an artistic career. This was quite unusual for the time, and although Shōen did have successful contemporaries who were female, such as Ito Shoba (1877–1968) and Kajiwara Hisako (1896–1988), women were largely still not part of the Japanese public art scene outside of Tokyo.[1] Among Japan's wedding traditions, specifically among upper-class unions, brides were gifted akonrei chōdo (bridal furnishing set), usually containing art supplies, such as brushes and paints. Provided with the necessary tools, many women pursued painting as an individual and private hobby, out of the public eye and in an amateur setting. Due to most women of the time's lack of formal education in the arts, few made a professional career of painting, regardless of how talented they may be. However, women living in the company of a professional artist, such as their fathers or husbands, had the resources and guidance to hone their skills in the craft, although few of these women became known for their work as an individual away from their educators.[2]
Shōen was sent to theKyoto Prefectural Painting School, where she studied under theChinese stylelandscape painterSuzuki Shōnen (1849–1918). She also began studying theKanō school andSesshū schools styles of painting. Suzuki was so impressed that he gave her the firstkanji of his own pseudonym of "Shōnen" in recognition of her talent. Shōen even allowed her to pursue her desire to paint figurally in his private studio despite the fact that the school's traditional teaching method did not allow students to being figural practice until their later years.[1] This was an exceptional breakthrough for the times; however, for a while her reputation was tainted as she was suspected of a liaison with her teacher, which may have been true. Soon afterwards she gave birth to an illegitimate son (the future painter Uemura Shōkō), whom she raised as a single mother. She later gave birth to a daughter and, likewise, never revealed the name of the father. This was in part due to the conservative and traditional nature of Kyoto which already placed pressure on unwed mothers.[4] Shōnen himself however later revealed to Shōkō at the age of 14 that he was his father.[4]
In 1894, Shōen became a disciple ofKōno Bairei and later of his successorTakeuchi Seihō. She won her first local award in 1898 with a work selected for theExhibition of New and Old Art ("Shinko Bijutsu Tenrankai" or "Shinkoten") in Kyoto. She won her first national award in 1900 for a painting submitted to an exhibition sponsored by theJapan Fine Arts Academy (Nihon Bijutsuin) with the Japan Painting Association (Nihon Kaiga Kyokai). She later focused on producing work for display and sale at the government-sponsoredBunten exhibitions starting from 1907. The purchase of her painting,The Beauty of Four Seasons, by theDuke of Connaught on his visit to Japan, raised her to celebrity status at the mere age of fifteen. Shōen was chosen shortly after by the Japanese government to have her work shown in theChicago World Exposition of 1893 along with many other prominent artists at the time, all older and mostly from Tokyo in comparison. Shōen painted another version of The Beauty of Four Seasons for the exposition and received an award for the painting.[1]
Shōen drew from her artistic training and her personal interest inwoodblock prints and older painting styles to develop new techniques and styles of composition with a broad range of subjects. Themes and elements from the traditionalNoh drama frequently appeared in her works, but images of beautiful women (bijin-ga) came to dominate her work. Eventually, her work would combine the themes of both Noh and women in a single composition.
With all her might, she paintedHonō (焔, Flame) in 1918, a painting about female jealousy and eternal love that cemented her reputation. Shoen described the work as "the flame of a middle-aged woman's jealousy" which coincidentally debuted in the same year of Suzuki Shōnen's death.[4] For a while after that, she did not exhibit her work.[5]
In 1924, she returned to the art world by exhibiting a painting titledYōkihi (楊貴妃, the consortYang Guifei) at the Fourth Exhibition of the Imperial Academy of Fine Arts. The painting is now at theShōhaku Art Museum in Nara.
During the 1930s, when Shōen was in her late 50s and early 60s, she began producing very large works. These includeSpring and Autumn (1930),Jo-no-mai (1936), andSoshi-arai Komachi (1937). Many of these works, especiallyJo-no-mai are now considered her greatest masterpieces. It is believed that the model for Jo-no-mai is Shoen's daughter-in-law portraying a confident and dignified women in a brilliantly colored orange kimono fading into a cloud pattern at the hem.[3]
| Noh Dance Prelude (序の舞,Jo-no-mai) | |
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| Artist | Uemura Shōen |
| Year | 1936 |
| Type | Nihongawatercolor onsilk |
| Dimensions | 223 cm × 141.3 cm (88 in × 55.6 in) |
| Location | Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music,Tokyo |
Jo-no-mai andSoshi-arai Komachi were inspired by the Noh theater. (Jo-no-mai is a dance performed in the introduction to a Noh play, andSoshi-arai Komachi is the title of a Noh play about theHeian periodpoetOno no Komachi.) Shoen took great inspiration from the female character in noh theater. It is important to note that men performed all the roles in noh theater including the female roles. Despite this Shoen used women models to recreate the poses of her work suggesting something of her views of women.[3] Both paintings are characterized by a strong feeling of majesty, with a large central figure against an empty background. The use of color is carefully planned so that the light surfaces of clothes and other items stand out prominently against thenegative space.
In 1941, Shōen became the first woman painter in Japan to be invited to join theImperial Art Academy. She was appointed acourt painter to theImperial Household Agency in 1944.
DuringWorld War II she supported nationalism in pieces likeLate Autumn which depicts a beautiful woman doing her part to help the war. Despite her advanced age, she traveled to thewar zone in China at the invitation of theJapanese government forpropaganda purposes, to prove to people back home that all was going well. Many of her works from this period, includingTwilight (1941),Clear Day (1941), andLate Autumn (1943), depict working women engaged in daily chores, who display a strong sense of vitality. As with her work from the 1930s, Shōen shows a skillful use of negative space, with realistic detail, neat lines, and a calm use of color. As the war situation deteriorated, in February 1945, Shōen was evacuated from Kyoto to the suburbs ofNara.
In 1948, she became the first woman to be awarded Japan's prestigiousOrder of Culture. Her paintingJo no mai was the first painting by a Japanese woman to be rated as anImportant Cultural Property by theAgency of Cultural Affairs.
Despite being known for works of beautiful womenbijinga (Ukiyo-e beauty portraits) Shōen reportedly said "Never once did I paint a work with the expectation that it would be a fine work as long as the woman depicted was beautiful. My earnest hope is that all my works are like fragrant jewels, always with a sense of fresh purity, never with even an iota of the vulgar".[6] She is respected for her fight for women's rights in Japan and her achievements as a great artist, not just a female artist.[7]
During Shōen's time, Japanese art was experiencing a change in style and influence. Western production of oil paintings became popular for many artists. Shōen, however, stuck to her use of mineral pigments, oriwaenogu, and Japanese-style themes. Her paintings show ordinary women, female characters innoh theater, but the majority of her work shows women out in the elements in their finery.[4] InWomen Walking Against a Snowstorm (1911), a dramatic action scene is depicted of a beautiful woman not bending to the elements or the power of the storm. Shōen's work shows the quiet empowerment of women through her subtle portrayal of emotion.[8] Uemura's 1918 work on the theme of jealousy,Honō (焔, Flame), which depicts anikiryō (living ghost) incarnate in jealousy without compromising dignity, is considered to have raised the standard ofnihonga. This work solidified her reputation by overturning the criticism some critics had made of her earlier work, calling her a "faceless doll". This work was directly inspired byLady Rokujō, who appears inThe Tale of Genji and the noh playAoi no Ue, and was also inspired byBijin zu (美人図, Beauty), an 18th century painting bySoga Shōhaku now in the collection of theNara Prefectural Museum of Art.[9][10][5] Shōen contributed to the change for how the public viewed women's art through her own works.[3]
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Uemura Shōen's works have been selected as the subject ofcommemorative postage stamps twice by the Japanese government:
In 2000, Uemura Shōen herself was the subject of a commemorative postage stamp under the Cultural Leaders Series by Japan Post.
In 2017, Shōen's work was featured inUemura Shōen and Quintessential Bijinga, Paintings of Beautiful Women, a two month-long (August 29, 2017 - October 22, 2017) an exhibition organized by Yamatane Museum of Art and Nikkei Inc. The exhibition featured four sections: Uemura Shōen—Fragrant Beauty, Famous Women from Literature and History, Maiko and Geisha, Beauties Past and Present—Chic Japanese Garb Gorgeous Western Garb. Shōen dominated the selected works in the first section, with additional work being showcased in the second.[6]
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