2018年7月のバックナンバー

2018.7.11

Treasures from Kyoto: 300 years of Rinpa creation

Flowers that never wilt ―
From ardent emotions they come,
Eternally in bloom
So beautiful and fragrant...

The words in this poem by Sugawa Nobuyuki (1839-1917) call to mind the blossoming friendship ushered in by the Treaty of Amity and Commerce between France and Japan, signed on October 9, 1858. The treaty focused primarily on economic and diplomatic ties, but as time passed those parameters expanded to welcome artistic influences as well. Through international expositions in the 19th century, France was introduced to a new artistic sensitivity as another way of looking at nature and beauty. French people developed a deep appreciation for works springing from Japan's Rinpa movement. And yet for some reason, the excitement of those years faded away with the passage of time.