Gli Shinhanga. Una rivoluzione nelle stampe Giapponesi - The Shinhanga: A Revolution in Japanese Prints

The exhibition Gli Shinhanga. Una rivoluzione nelle stampe giapponesi (The Shinhanga. A revolution in Japanese prints), curated by Paola Scrolavezza, which opens in the spaces of the Museums of San Salvatore in Lauro, represents a great opportunity to immerse oneself in the beauty and melancholy of an artistic movement that, at the beginning of the 20th century, revolutionized traditional Japanese ukiyo-e prints, harmonizing classical elements with modernist sensibility.

The exhibition itinerary includes over 100 original works by some of the most famous shinhanga masters, including Itō Shinsui, Kawase Hasui and Hashiguchi Goyō who, by portraying vibrantly colored landscapes and wonderful female figures, were able to capture the essence of the landscape and the fervor of Japan in those years with a renewed style and particular attention to light, seasons and details, with those aspects of nostalgia that accompanied the fading of a world increasingly threatened by progress. Through the exhibition of amazing works never seen before in Italy, from private collections and the Japanese Gallery Kensington in London, as well as precious kimonos, historical photographs and furnishing objects, it celebrates the continuity and at the same time the evolution of the Japanese artistic tradition, showing how the movement has been able to preserve the centuries-old techniques of wood engraving while introducing innovative perspectives and influences from overseas.

The artistic movement of Shinhanga, literally “new prints”, developed during the Taishō (1912-1926) and Shōwa (1926-1945) eras thanks to the work of artists such as Itō Shinsui and Kawase Hasui, gradually distanced itself from the subjects of the ukiyo-e style, characterised by landscapes depicting famous locations, famous geisha or actors and characters linked to the world of the most popular theatres, favouring instead characteristic views of the rural province or the city suburbs, not yet reached by modernisation, such as ancient temples, ruins, rural images, night scenes illuminated by the full moon and the lights of street lamps. Alongside these views linked to Impressionism, new types of bijinga, female portraits, are added no longer depicting models of famous women or perfect beauties, but contemporary women, portrayed in their everyday life, while they style their hair or apply make-up, and whose faces reveal emotions, dreams and regrets.

The Shinhanga distinguish also themselves by their innovative use of perspective, their strong connection with photography, and their keen interest in artificial lighting and the seasons, which give their works an almost cinematic dimension, bringing them closer to contemporary sensibility. Among the main exponents are Hasui Kawase, who reproduced almost exclusively landscapes and city views that do not fall within the meishō (“famous places”) genre, lake and seascapes far from the tourist routes; Tsuchiya Koitsu, who stands out for his ability to recreate light effects; Okada Koichi, known for his detailed woodblock prints depicting Mount Fuji; Eiichi Kotozuka, one of the founders of the Koryokusha publishing house, famous for his prints on Japanese cultural traditions, flowers, landscapes and wildlife.

Photo: Facebook official page-official poster of the exhibition