DID FENOLLOSA SAVE TRADITIONAL JAPANESE ART FROM EXTINCTION? FENOLLOSA’S LEGACY IN JAPAN, 1878-1890

Ernest F. Fenollosa (1853-1908) was an art theorist and administrator known to many in Japan today. His name is spoken in admiration for his work in rediscovering traditional Japanese art, saving it from extinction, and modernizing it. Without his intervention, Japanese painting (nihonga) would have died. So goes the received reputation of Fenollosa’s work. In this talk, Nara will explore some aspects of the work of Fenollosa that directly pertain to this reputation, by first discussing the pivotal speech he made in 1882 that made him very famous in the world of Japanese art then analyzing how his revolutionary ideas were implemented. The talk will attempt to answer the question of whether his work saved Japanese art from extinction.

Hiroshi Nara is a professor of Japanese Studies. He is currently interested in the development of art and aesthetics in modern Japan and translation studies. This talk discusses a project that developed out of these somewhat disparate interests.