TAASA ZOOM LECTURES – TAASA Review December 2020

31 August 2020 Japanese Modernism: between earthquake and war A large zoom audience enjoyed NGV senior curator of Asian art Wayne Crothers’ lecture on NGV’s exhibition Japanese Modernism. Wayne sketched the wider social, political and economic context for the creative outburst which occurred in Japan during the 1920s and 1930s, bookended between two major destructive events: the great Kanto earthquake of 1923 and WW2.

Embracing modernism and a more liberated lifestyle, a new generation inspired an energised and wide range of artistic output, especially in the great metropolises of Tokyo and Osaka. Wayne’s presentation offered a thorough review of this eclectic exhibition, encompassing paintings, woodblock prints, fashion, glassware, lacquer ware, bronze ware, posters, magazines and graphic design.

An interesting feature was its focus on the works of young female artists who challenged the conservative art establishment in this period: one key work being the large six-fold screen by Tanigushi Fumie...