「団体展」

　明治33年オーストリア公使牧野伸顕はフランスのルイ１４世時代から続くサロンを日本にも作り文化を育てたい、そんな理想のもと文展が始まりました。

現在まで続く日展です。

この日展を団体展の頂点とし、日本画・油絵・彫刻・書道・工芸、様々な団体が存在します。

　そしてこれらは入選するために高倍率を戦わなくてはなりません。

会友や実力者は通る事が決まっているのでそれらを差し引いたのが実際の倍率で初出品者にはかなり厳しい試練になります。

　ところが入選すると全国を巡回し、うまく行けば画商の目にとまり作品が売れたりします。

しかし実際には高額な絵の具代や運送費がかかっているにもかかわらず日の目を見ない悲しい作品が物理的に多く存在しているのです。

　その悲しい作品達は何が問題だったのでしょうか？

某日本画の先生は言います、“君の絵は紙をパネルに貼った時が一番いい”と。

「横山大観院展落選」　　　朦朧体をイメージし、たらし込みで描いています。

「山本丘人創画展落選」　　ナイフと筆で荒々しさを表現しています。

「杉山寧日展落選」　　　　岩絵の具で重厚なマチエールを作り上げました。

SALON

In 1900, Makino Nobuaki, who was ambassador to Austria at the time, had an idea to introduce to Japan an art exhibition called “Salon,” which had been started in France under Louis XIV (1638-1715). Founded on the ideal of developing modern culture in Japan, the first Bunten (“Ministry of Education Art Exhibition”) was held in 1907, and it continues even today under the name of Nitten (“Japan Fine Arts Exhibition”).

Nitten is the largest annual fine arts exhibition in Japan and considered the most prestigious and national among various specialty exhibitions, such as Nihonga (Japanese traditional painting), Yōga (Western oil painting), sculpture, calligraphy and crafts. Artists can be extremely competitive in trying to attain a prize and thereby have their works shown in the preeminent art venue. However, it is an open secret that awards are always shuffled amongst an elite group chosen from among Nitten members and acknowledged master artists. As the judging is based on a hierarchical system nodding to seniority, it is extremely difficult for up-and-coming artists to enter their work and win a Nitten prize.

To have a work exhibited in Nitten’s nationwide tour that follows the main Tokyo exhibit has been known to cement an artist’s career, because the works can catch an art dealer’s eye and thereby fetch hefty prices. In reality, however, there are many unselected artworks which would never been exhibited anywhere, even though color paints and other materials for paintings are expensive, not to mention the transportation expenses. What is the problem with those rejected artworks? A master of Japanese painting once said to a student, “Your paintings are the best when the canvas is still blank.”

In the Salon series, I picked up three great Japanese-style painters, Yokoyama Taikan (1868-1958), Yamamoto Kyūjin (1900-86) and Sugiyama Yasushi (1909-93) who each contributed to the development of Nitten. I painted their names on a large-scale canvas respectfully using techniques characteristic of each painter. I sent those artworks to the Nitten exhibition, and as anticipated, all works were rejected and returned to me with a notice of rejection.

The Salon series ironically alludes to the closed nature of Nitten, where artists are judged by how well they are known, reinforcing the echo chamber of the art market.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　                            Translation by Eiko Aoki

横山大観院展落選

2005年　絹本に墨、額装

224.4x92x4cm

Taikan Yokoyama was rejected for the Inten Exhibition.

横山大観院展落選　裏

横山大観院展落選　落選通知

山本丘人創画展落選

2005年　画用紙に100円均一ポスターカラー、額装

228.8x92x4cm

Kyujin Yamamoto was rejected for the Sougaten Exhibition.