【Art History】Special lecture by Mr. Eisuke Kawada, Lecturer of the Department of Economics, Faculty of Political Science and Economics, Kokushikan University
Special lecture “Modernist art movements and British and American literature at the beginning of the twentieth century”
Monday, December 10, 2018 3rdperiod (12:15 p.m.–1:30 p.m.)
University of Tsukuba, Art and Physical Education Area 5C 507
School of Art and DesignSpecialized common subject “Fine Art Theory A-2”
Speaker: Eisuke Kawada
A graduate of Columbia University, Mr. Kawada completed coursework with a degree in the Department of English Language and Literature Doctoral Program, Graduate School of Humanities and Sociology and Faculty of Letters, The University of Tokyo. After working as an assistant professor in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Tsukuba (2015–2017), he became a lecturer at the Department of Economics, Faculty of Political Science and Economics at Kokushikan University in 2018. Mr. Kawada specializes in British and American literature, aesthetics, and theory of art, with a focus on Ernest Hemingway’s research, stylistics, and poetics. He is currently working on the research project “A systematic study on style, aesthetics, and realism in the short stories of Ernest Hemingway.” (JSPS, Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research C 2018-2020).
This special lecture formed part of the School of Art and Design specialized common subject “Fine Art Theory A-2” class. In Fall AB, the theme of the lesson was “Fine art in 1910,” in which the Western and Japanese art trends of 1910 were studied. As movements in art history as well as specific artists and their work are covered in the regular class, we asked that the special lecture extend to the literary history of the 1910s and 1920s, which is not covered in the regular class.
The special lecture began with a chronological summary about what the beginning of the twentieth century was like. Mr. Kawada explained that it was an era of various discoveries and technological innovations, and a turning point for value systems based on the ideologies of Marx, Freud, and Nietzsche. After providing an overview of modernist painting, he introduced the class to modernist poetry (Harriet Monroe, Robert Frost, Gertrude Stein, TS Eliot, Ezra Pound, Mina Loy, etc.) and modernist authors (Ernest Hemingway, F Scott Fitzgerald, William Faulkner, etc.) as examples of trends in modernist literature in Britain and the United States. He defined it generally as an “era of style” and “era of division and unity.” From this, we learned that these literary and artistic works represented streams of consciousness as they were developed, as they were interconnected in complex ways with other spheres of art.
This time, we were also joined by non-students, with approximately 30 people attending the lecture.
講師:渡辺俊夫先生 Professor Toshio Watanabe(Ph. D.)
上智大学卒業、バーゼル大学で博士号取得。ロンドン芸術大学(UAL)チェルシー・カレッジ教授の後、現在セインズベリー日本藝術研究所教授。著書にHigh Victorian Japonisme (1991), Japan and Britain: An Aesthetic Dialogue 1850-1930 (1991), Ruskin in Japan 1890-1940: Nature for art, art for life (1997) ほか。英国美術史学会会長、テート・ブリテン評議員等を歴任。2004年ロンドン芸術大学(UAL)に Research Centre for Transnational Art, Identity and Nation (TrAIN)
を設立。
【Art History】Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures Special Lecture by Professor Toshio Watanabe
Special lecture “The two sides of British and American Japonisme Research”
Thursday, December 6, 2018 3rdperiod (12:15 p.m.–1:30 p.m.)
University of Tsukuba Institute of Art and Design B203 Conference Room
Speaker: Professor Toshio Watanabe (Ph. D.)
Professor Watanabe is a graduate from Sophia University who received his doctorate from the University of Basel. After teaching at the University of the Arts London (UAL) Chelsea College of Arts, he became a professor at the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures, where he still teaches today. Books written by Professor Watanabe include High Victorian Japonisme (1991); Japan and Britain: An Aesthetic Dialogue 1850–1930 (1991); and Ruskin in Japan 1890–1940: Nature for art, art for life (1997). He was formerly the Chairman of the Japan Art History Society and a Council Member of Tate Britain. In 2004, he established the Research Centre for Transnational Art, Identity and Nation (TrAIN) at the University of the Arts London (UAL).
In addition to attendees from this university, including Art and Design faculty members, Humanities and Social Sciences faculty members, students from the Master’s and doctoral programs, college students, and non-degree students, we were joined by graduate students from the Sainsbury Institute for the Study of Japanese Arts and Cultures. In total, around 35 people were present on the day.
The special lecture elaborated the “history of research” with regard to British and American Japonisme research, starting from the pre-1960s’ era to the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, and 2001 onward. With reference to important English, German, and French books, he spoke about the prominent issues of previous research. He also offered in-depth commentary, including references to studies that were problematic in terms of content, despite being best-seller books. This taught us about the other side of research. This lecture detailed the theories and techniques of Japonisme research on top of Professor Watanabe’s own research history, as we learned that Japonisme is not limited to fine art; that we need not only an East and West perspective, but a transnational one; and that we must become conscious of the image of a porous national border as it comes and goes. This was a unique opportunity where those present were able to learn about new research trends as they reflected on their own research.
【Art History】University of Tsukuba Art History Society Fall Research Presentation Meeting
The University of Tsukuba Art History Society Fall Research Presentation Meeting was held.
Research Presentation
・Ayumi Chu, Fukuoka Art Museum
Épinal prints and the Sōsaku-hanga movement
・Mutsuko Hoshino
Reconsidering the “Lion Beer Hall” mural
—Using unreleased materials of Architect Zushi Yoshihiko—
A fulfilling day was had by all on this late fall weekend, as these two 30-minute presentations were followed by a lively question and answer session in which current college and graduate students and graduates participated.