Kate Yu
Beyond the quality of the visual experience that is found in a piece of art, understanding the intriguing stories within the creation of each piece of artwork allows us to appreciate art from a different and, at times, more powerful perspective. Creativity and inspiration for art are influenced by all of the experiences that fill our lives. Japanese history in relationship to changes in art, Western ideas and the printmaker, Toshi Yoshida, all had a remarkable influence on the creation of Noboru Sawai’s Yurakucho.
Noboru Sawai, a contemporary Japanese woodblock print artist born in Takamatsu, Japan in 1931, is currently an emeritus professor at University of Calgary, Canada. This woodblock print, entitled Yurakucho, was completed in 1970. Yurakucho is a subway station that lies in the northeastern part of Ginza, a major shopping district in Tokyo. Sawai’s depiction of Yurakucho station is rather abstract. The simpleness of the train track markings, the silhouette of the trees, and the geometric patterns in the background contrast with bright and expressive lines of the nude in the billboard.
Sawai received his Bachelor of Arts and Master of Fine Arts from Augsburg College, Minneapolis and University of Minnesota, Minneapolis respectively. He was nurtured under the resplendence of Western art and Western ideas. Abstractionism and expressionism are the two prevailing styles found in Yurakucho. Through abstraction, Sawai keeps the intrinsic qualities of the station and its surroundings by simplifying them into shapes and lines. The huge size of the billboard on the right is a bit overwhelming, yet very expressive. Expressionism is a western idea that refers to the distortion of reality for an emotional effect. The expressive use of color and lines to depict the nude on the billboard is eye-catching, which suggests a sense of intentionality.
In 1970, the year Yurakucho was created, Sawai studied under the famous woodblock printmaking artist, Toshi Yoshida, at the International Hanga Academy in Tokyo. Toshi Yoshida was born the eldest son of the painter and printmaker Hiroshi Yoshida in 1911 in Tokyo. Toshi’s father Hiroshi Yoshida, is one of the most important and influential Western style artists in all of Japan. In 1953, Toshi, heir to the family’s art enterprise, began an extended trip to the United States in an effort to reestablish the Yoshida family’s contact with the American art market. Toshi’s effort to constantly innovate and push the boundaries of the woodblock medium encouraged Sawai to explore woodblock prints with greater breadth and vision.With such a profound background in Western art and the influence of the Yoshida family, the quality of Sawai’s techniques and his inspired creativity are beyond any manner of doubt.
Apart from sentimental connections to Yurakucho, the intention of Sawai’s choice of subject matter in Yurakucho can be traced along with the evolution of Japanese art. In the 19th Century, Japan abandoned its previous anti-foreign and isolationist policy and began to open their doors to the world. Due to modernization and the influence of the West, railways and street traffic replaced waterways as the principal transport network of Tokyo in the Meiji period. The railroad system became the most impressive and influential of the new transportation facilities. Subsequently transportation became a popular subject matter of Meiji art.
Although the posture and the vivid use of color are inspired by Western art, Sawai’s depiction of the nude body on the billboard near Yurakucho station forms a subtle connection with ukiyo-e, images of the pleasure districts of Edo and Kyoto during the Edo period. Similar to the pleasure districts, Yurakucho is a district of entertainment and relaxation. There are many traditional Japanese bars and outdoor eating restaurants. It is also a drinking spot for businessmen on their way home from work. Portraying nudity with inspiration from the West also indicates the modernization and liveliness of Yurakucho district.
In this work, Sawai takes traditional Japanese subject matter, the nude from ukiyo-e and also the famous “scenic spot” seen in the images of Hiroshige’s road pictures, and incorporates them with modern western art styles and ideas. By combining these elements, Sawai creates an expressive and interesting piece of art. Despite his strong bond with Western culture and ideas, Sawai can be seen to praise the prosperity of Japan and the glory and history of Japanese art through this print.
Works Cited
Julia Meech-Pekarik, The World of the Meiji Print. New York and Tokyo, Weatherhill, 1986.
Toru Terada, Japanese Art in World Perspecitve, New York and Tokyo, Heatherhill, 1976.
The Centre for Contemporary Canadian Art, Art data base, artist files, 1997.
http://www.ccca.ca/artists/artist_info.html?languagePref=en&link_id=728.
Wikipedia <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yurakucho>.