Meiji Modern: Fifty Years of New Japan at the Smart Museum of Art offers a glimpse into a transformative period of Japanese history. Spanning from 1868 to 1912, the Meiji period was characterized by rapid urbanization and escalating geopolitical tensions. Artists of the time seized upon the uncertainty to explore new possibilities and reshape traditional mediums.
At the heart of the Meiji Modern exhibition lies a comprehensive collection of artwork that present the philosophical complexities of the period. On display are paintings that buttressed the aggressive ideology of militarism adopted after the Japanese victory in the First Sino-Japanese War, illustrations embedded with the struggles of modernity amidst the preservation of traditions, and many pieces that overtly incorporate Western elements to mark Japan’s heady embrace of Western culture.
Many paintings in the exhibition depict the pervasive influence of war and nationalistic aggression. Kobayashi Kiyochika’s “Our Field Artillery Attacks the Enemy Camp at Jiuliancheng” details a rainy setting in the First Sino-Japanese War between Qing China and Meiji Japan, and Ogata Gekkō’s “General Ōdera Attacking the Hundred-Foot Cliff with All His Might” commemorates the general who led Japan in the Battle of Weihaiwei. Both paintings evince a propagandistic move of the Meiji government to glorify its soldiers as war heroes, like the samurai who were worshiped during the Edo period. “Wave Crest Supporting the Tide-Ruling Jewel,” a rock crystal sphere sculpted by Yukihiro Akama, draws parallels between the Meiji imperial navy and the Japanese mythological figure Umi no Sachihiko, a deity of the sea.
The coexistence of artistic modernity and tradition can be found in “Lamp Globe with Design of Spiny Chrysanthemums,” attributed to Hattori Tadasaburō. The globe is made translucent by the shōtai shippō technique, which makes the light source inside the sphere clear and henceforth fit to be a lamp. During the later Meiji period, gas lamps were replaced by those powered by electricity, like this one. The technological advancement evident in this globe characterizes the far reach of modernization during the era, while the spiny chrysanthemums that decorate the outer surface are classical Japanese motifs preserved in the midst of abrupt urbanization and westernization in Meiji Japan.
During the Meiji period, opening the door to the West was at times rife with doubts and struggles. One notable piece that exemplifies this is “Temptation,” a painting by Kimura Kaishū. The artwork shows a blindfolded Japanese woman taking the hand of a poorly dressed foreigner who gestures in a direction that symbolizes the West. This suggests that the “temptation” referred to in the title is the allure of the Western world. However, unbeknownst to the Japanese woman, the foreigner is leading her to gaki, or “hungry ghosts” in the Buddhist rendition of hell. The gaki are layered with hazy gray hues to accent the perilous predicament of heading blindly to the West. Positioned above the Japanese woman is a Japanese deity, the sole figure in the painting, illustrated entirely in white to highlight its goodness and divine beauty. This traditional deity urges the blinded woman in the opposite direction. The demonization of the unfamiliar West and the unwavering adherence to the faith of the East encapsulate the reservations held by the Japanese concerning the adoption of Western customs.
The Meiji Modern exhibition showcases the fusion of traditional aesthetics with modern influences during the Meiji Era, delving into the nuances of a period of profound change by addressing darker themes such as Japan’s imperial ambitions and an emerging anxiety surrounding increasing engagement with the West. The exhibition invites viewers to witness the dynamic adaptation of traditional art forms to the demands of a rapidly changing world—from conventional to contemporary and from strictly Eastern practices to a historical, cosmopolitan amalgamation. With 19th- and 20th-century Japanese art as a focal point, the exhibition skillfully offers a lens into how history and art strikingly make their mark on each other.
