Fenollosa’s Legacy in Late Nineteenth-Century Japan: An American Scholar’s Role in Resurrecting the Art...

— —

Hiroshi Nara

Fenollosa’s Legacy in Late Nineteenth-Century Japan

An American Scholar’s Role in Resurrecting the Art of Japan

Hiroshi Nara

$180

Hardback

Forthcoming
Pre-Order now

QTY:

English

Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
15 July 2024

Oriental art; History of art & design styles: c 1800 to c 1900; Asian history; Modern history to 20th century: c 1700 to c 1900

Fenollosa’s Legacy in Late Nineteenth Century Japan: An American Scholar’s Role in Resurrecting the Art of Japan makes a critical assessment of American art theorist Ernest F. Fenollosa’s work in Meiji Japan. Ernest F. Fenollosa was first hired as a Tokyo University professor of political philosophy in 1878 but became an art theorist and policymaker for Japan’s Education Ministry. His illustrious career as an art administrator began with the 1882 Bijutsu shinsetsu speech that cemented the reputation of his work. Working closely with Okakura Kakuzō (Tenshin), Fenollosa became the lightning rod in defining the course of modern painting as well as in establishing the first national art school. He is widely credited with resurrecting moribund traditional Japanese painting to health. The author shows this assessment of Fenollosa as the savior of Japanese traditional painting work may not have been deserved by examining the historical context in which he made the 1882 speech. The book offers the first English translation of Fenollosa’s 1882 Bijutsu shinsetsu speech that had been previously unavailable to the non-Japanese reading audience.

By: Hiroshi Nara
Imprint: Lexington Books/Fortress Academic
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9781666948295
ISBN 10: 1666948292
Pages: 320
Publication Date: 15 July 2024
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Ernest F. Fenollosa: An Introduction Chapter 1. The Art World in the Early Meiji and Fenollosa Chapter 2. English Translation of Bijutsu shinsetsu Chapter 3. Textual Analysis of Bijutsu shinsetsu Chapter 4. The Legacy of Bijutsu shinsetsu

Hiroshi Nara is professor of Japanese Studies at the University of Pittsburgh.

Reviews for Fenollosa’s Legacy in Late Nineteenth-Century Japan: An American Scholar’s Role in Resurrecting the Art of Japan

"""Nara's masterful translation and contextualization of Bijutsu shinsetsu finally makes this seminal document of modern Japanese art history available to a wider Western readership. Scrupulously researched, authoritatively interpreted and lucidly written, it is a must-read study for those interested in modern Japanese etymology and historical linguistics as well as Meiji period art history."" --John D. Szostak, University of Hawai'i at Manoa"