A Procession of Sancai and Stretching Humans/Cats [The Matsuoka Museum of Art was a wonderful museum]

I went to the Matsuoka Museum of Art! Although it is currently May 31st, the day of this visit, they are holding a special exhibition of selected Japanese painting masterpieces and Chinese ceramics. The Japanese painting selection includes three works by Kanzan Shimomura, whose retrospective was held until recently, and the Chinese ceramics feature includes companions to the Tang dynasty tomb figures that became a minor topic at the Seikado Bunko Art Museum's spring exhibition, "Fighting Buddhist Statues," so those who got hooked at that exhibition must see this.

Speaking of the Matsuoka Museum of Art, the cat waiter—the one that was recently turned into merchandise—is so cute. Furthermore, I, Nasunikibi, have to admit that I am currently in the middle of a Tang Sancai boom. It was such a fun visit to the Matsuoka Museum of Art that I decided to write a rare, laid-back article about my impressions. If you are a fan of Sancai, cats, or the Matsuoka Museum of Art, please read on! It is a heartwarming piece.

◯ Sancai Festival

As I wrote at the beginning, the "Eternal Vibrancy Exhibition" held in the fourth exhibition room this time featured not only many masterpieces of Chinese ceramics but also Sancai tomb figures lined up like this.

There was a special exhibition featuring Sancai in 2024 as well, but I missed it because I wasn't in a Sancai boom back then, so this is the first time I have seen such a large number of large-scale works lined up like this.

They are not just big; they are very interesting because of the individual differences and the varying levels of effort put into their creation. They are more detailed and cooler than Haniwa, and looser than Buddhist statues. They have an exciting coolness that takes the best of both worlds. Because of those elements, the first one that captivated me was this guy.

Wow, what a powerful, healthy horse. Tight legs and a powerful rear. As mentioned in the caption, I don't think I've seen such detailed craftsmanship in the mane, saddle, and other ornaments very often. I feel like having the mouth half-open is common for horse statues of this era, but this particular piece adds an extra layer of realism.

Above all, it's great that the colors remain so vivid. The density of the rear and the fine, deep green of the saddle are beautiful. Because of that, the white of the mane, where the color has faded, actually looks better by highlighting its smoothness.

This is what it looks like from the front. With elegant decorations on the bridge of the nose and sharp eyes, it feels like a truly magnificent horse. It is also stylish that there is a difference between the left and right sides in how much color remains on the front legs.

I thought the previous horse was the best, but this one next to it is also hard to pass up. The body where the green glaze drips is beautiful, and the way the colors mix in the saddle area is typical of Sancai. The fleshiness of the front legs is also a cute form, and above all, the round eyes are very cute. I personally call this kind of face a "Disney face," and it is very fun to see such a wide range from the realistic horse earlier to this kind of cute deformation.

There was also a rare horse with its head lowered. A white body where the green glaze and brown stand out! Since Sancai has a white base, there are many beautiful white horses. I am particularly drawn to this horse because it has mottled patterns and the brown color drips from the mane like café au lait.

And the camel, the main animal that pairs with the Sancai horse. The one at the Tokyo National Museum is also beautiful, but this is a type where you can enjoy deep coloration. The camel, tired after a long journey, has a tilted hump and is just now letting out a groan. The pigment that has fallen onto the pedestal below looks like dripping sweat or blood, enhancing its power. So cool...

And there is also a camel driver figure to lead him around. I suppose the pose is meant to be carrying the reins on his shoulder, but it somehow looks like a fighting pose. Why are the figures of this era so comical, including the modeling of the beard and cheeks...? I wonder if various cultures mixed on the Silk Road and only the interesting things were extracted. Below is a gray pottery figure that seems to be the base.

"You haven't seen this exhibition yet!?"
There is even a surprised pose like that. The level of liveliness is high. Like the individual seen at the Seikado Bunko Art Museum, this type of figure has something that appeals to the viewer. Who was it intended for? Is it someone sleeping in the grave, or perhaps it is trying to communicate something to a grave robber...?

And, a government official.

A divine king.

Two figures with great impact. This is the first time I have seen one like this divine king where the coloring remains even on the face. I wonder if it remains because it was painted green before firing, like the others—if there are any experts out there, please let me know. I previously had Gemini create a full-color prediction, but it is different from that, so I wonder what is correct. And as always, the ox looks strong even though it is being stepped on. Furthermore, this face with a deep green color and a bearded look resembles the atmosphere of the three head-only brothers in Spirited Away. Could it be the reference source?

Both the official and the divine king, including their decorations, are not perfectly symmetrical, which adds to the sense of dynamism and makes them look cool.

There are many other unique works, such as merchants, individuals with indigo applied, and a woman riding a horse.

Ladies of this era are plump, based on Yang Guifei. This one here is cute, like a cod roe. It has a pop sensibility like Björk, whose DJ set at the recent Venice Biennale became a hot topic.

And the highlight is this jar. I want it.

◯ Stretched-out humans and cats

Since I've talked about Sancai for too long, let me talk a little about the other exhibits. The permanent exhibition on the first floor of the Matsuoka Museum of Art must have many followers. Directly in front as you enter, there is Bourdelle's large "Penelope" and Diego Giacometti's (the younger Giacometti brother) "Cat Waiter." Then, the Buddhist statue zone, Henry Moore and Emilio Greco in Exhibition Room 2. Furthermore, the Etruscan mini-statues.

The real thrill of a private museum is the hodgepodge feeling of the collection. Of course, in addition to that, it's fun to wonder: didn't the collector Seijiro Matsuoka like bodies with a stretched-out style? There are many works where both cats and humans have elongated lines. The tomb figures I introduced earlier also have a very stretched-out, elongated line.

Furthermore, there are many moments where you can feel the collector's taste, such as the atmosphere of the poses in Henry Moore's "Mother and Child on a Bench" and the Bodhisattva in meditation (Gandhara, Kushan Empire, circa 3rd century, grey schist).

There are many wonderful private museums like the Artizon Museum, Mitsui, and Mitsubishi, but perhaps the Matsuoka Museum of Art has the highest concentration of being able to peek into the collector's brain and bathe in the chaos of things completely unrelated to art research.

In the special exhibition of Japanese paintings, you can also see works by Kanzan Shimomura, which are also wonderful. In the expression of Yoshitsune and Ushiwakamaru in "Spring at the Mountain Temple," one can find a connection to his masterpiece "Yoroboshi." Perhaps because of the Kanzan connection, there was also an exhibition of Noh masks.

Similarly, I am also looking forward to the Million Koku Kaga Maeda Family Exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum.

Furthermore, currently, in addition to the plush toy version of "Cat Waiter," there are also Sancai acrylic stands, and the merchandise corner was quite dangerous. I definitely want you to visit, but please be careful. By the way, the title is from a hashtag for the Matsuoka Museum of Art found on Instagram. There were others like #TheEssenceOfTheMatsuokaMuseumOfArt, so there must be many enthusiastic fans. Highly recommended.

The end

Bonus

A Chinese restaurant on the way from Meguro to Gotanda that displays a Sancai horse.

Please also check out past articles about the Matsuoka Museum of Art below