Turbulent Times: Painters of the Bakumatsu and Meiji Periods: 1 / Suntory Museum of Art

This exhibition has a simple name.
On the posters and leaflets, the following copy is written in a font that looks like hand-written calligraphy, crossing over the exhibition title.

It is an interesting catchphrase. Wouldn't it have been fine if this were the exhibition title as well—
The reason one might think so is not just because it is a "good pun (our company's comparison)."
Gathered in this exhibition are paintings from the Bakumatsu and Meiji periods that possess an explosive power that does not pale in comparison to the art of Taro Okamoto.
Beyond their strong idiosyncrasies and energetic nature, one can keenly feel the passion of the organizers, who know this slightly obscure field inside and out and want to make it known to others. Art is Bakumatsu, it is Meiji!

As the primary protagonist of this exhibition, I would like to name Raishu Yasuda.
His teacher was the famous Katsushika Hokusai. Strongly influenced by Western painting, he created extremely unique—or rather, quite kitschy—paintings. This exhibition devotes an entire chapter to introducing Raishu's representative works.

However—it is an undeniable fact that it is highly uncertain how many people will react to the name Raishu. Even if it were titled the "Raishu Yasuda Exhibition," one could hardly expect a large turnout.
Therefore, the content and structure make one keenly feel the practical circumstances of having established several other protagonists to make Raishu one of several pillars.
In this era, there are still many painters waiting in the wings with strong character, quirks, and impact. Thus, Kazunobu Kano, Kuniyoshi Utagawa, Yoshitoshi Tsukioka, Kiyochika Kobayashi, Zeshin Shibata, and Kyosai Kawanabe, who have already gained appropriate recognition and fans, are placed on the same level as Raishu to form the backbone of the exhibition.
Admittedly, Raishu's brilliance is conveyed the moment you see his work. Even if you didn't know Raishu before visiting, everyone will likely remember his name and works by the time they leave the gallery. When all is said and done, Raishu had the strongest character, quirks, and impact. Even among this group.

By grouping them as "Painters of the Bakumatsu and Meiji Periods," there is also the advantage of being able to include Tani Buncho and his school, as well as Yosai Kikuchi, who are very important in art history but must be called "tastes for the refined."
Furthermore, there is no limit to how many other contemporary painters could be included. That balance is precisely what is worth seeing.
There are no works from the Edo Rinpa school or the Fuko Yamato-e style. There were some surprising points, such as the small treatment of Eitaku Kobayashi and the inclusion of mud paintings (doro-e). This is likely the personality of the exhibition.

In this way, this exhibition does not attempt to trace the transitions or lineages of painting styles, artists, or schools, but rather takes a clean cut through the 19th-century timeline to look at that cross-section. The theme setting is close to "The 19th Century of Edo Painting" (2014) held previously at the Fuchu Art Museum.
Within that, what is emphasized this time is the perspective that artworks created in the "turbulent times" that were a turning point in politics and society also show a "turbulence" that reflects the nature of that era. That is precisely why the works in this exhibition are choices with strong character, quirks, and impact.
As a symbolic figure, the one who takes the lead is, as expected, this man: Kazunobu Kano's "Five Hundred Arhats." Six selected scrolls from the set of 100 welcome the visitors.

After receiving a grand baptism from the six large, brilliantly colored scrolls, the journey of paintings racing through the "turbulent times" begins. (To be continued)