In recent years, China and Japan have hosted numerous captivating Matisse exhibitions. However, Matisse's presence in East Asia isn't limited to the present. Even before World War I, his work was inspired by Asian ink painting and other forms of art. His Fauvist style, focused on "inner truth," also influenced artists in both China and Japan. Arguably, Matisse is the Western artist who has had the greatest influence on modern Japanese art.
In April 2023, the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum's four-month exhibition, Henri Matisse: The Path to Color, attracted a large crowd. In July, the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) in Beijing hosted the three-month exhibition "Matisse by Matisse" (later traveling to the UCCA in Shanghai for another three months). Despite the exceptionally hot weather and the 150-yuan ticket price, the exhibition was an unprecedented success. With 280 works on display, the exhibition offered Chinese artists and the working class alike the opportunity to experience the long career and achievements of this modernist master without leaving the country. Just six months later, in February 2024, another solo Matisse exhibition, "Henri Matisse—Formes libres," opened at the National Art Center, Tokyo, lasting three and a half months. It also set attendance records, and the pricey catalogue was already in print before the exhibition was even halfway through.
Official catalogue of the 2023 Beijing Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) "Matisse's Matisse" exhibition, published by Zhejiang Photography Publishing House in July 2023, priced at 268 yuan, 513 pages.
Official poster for the 2023 exhibition "Matisse's Matisse" at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA) in Beijing.
This scene seems to foreshadow the reality of the return of the "Wild Beast" Matisse to East Asia. While this is indeed a "reality," it's not new, and the term "return" itself feels familiar—the last time being the "Oriental Retrospective." The "Oriental Retrospective" is a complex and somewhat ambiguous concept. It represents the artistic trend that emerged around the time of World War I (the Taisho period) as the Japanese Western painting community, reflecting on how to develop an independent and self-conscious modern art based on Eastern traditions and customs, shifted its focus to East Asian art, advocating a reassessment of its own values as a means of dialogue and confrontation with the Western-centric art world. Of course, "East Asia" here also includes China. Those who advocated this return included both Japanese, Westerners, and Chinese. For example, the great collector and diplomat stationed in China, Suma Yakichiro, called Qi Baishi "the Cézanne of the East" and compared his works with those of European Post-Impressionism; Kandinsky, who was in Munich, pointed out that an artist's inspiration does not come from the objective reproduction of natural things, but from the "inner spirit of nature" - even the language is Japanese; the "Beast" Matisse in Paris was obsessed with the so-called "inner truth" art, and he believed that "the correct depiction of appearance has no value"; and Chen Shizeng compiled the articles of Japanese art scholar Omura Nishigaki and his own into a book "Research on Chinese Literati Painting", which was published in Shanghai to endorse the ancient East Asian painting... Therefore, looking back at the "return of the East" a hundred years ago, it was definitely not the narcissism or conceit of Chinese and Japanese artists, but it did represent a certain change within the mainstream of Western art, which is of great and far-reaching significance.
Official catalogue of the 2024 Matisse exhibition "Free Form" at the National Art Center, Tokyo, Yomiuri Shimbun, February 2024 edition, second printing, priced at 5,500 yen, 334 pages.
"Research on Chinese Literati Painting", translated by Chen Shizeng, Zhejiang People's Fine Arts Publishing House, April 2016 edition.
Returning to the theme of Matisse's return to East Asia, we must first recognize that Matisse's fate and outcomes in China and Japan are vastly different—a return that is, after all, different from that. Strictly speaking, the Ullens exhibition was Matisse's first in China, a century-long belated vindication and tribute by the Eastern giant to the Fauvist master. It also reflects the setbacks and frustrations of Modernism in China. Needless to say, China's reception of Matisse, like many artistic and social science concepts, also came through Japan. Not to mention the five-to-ten-year time lag, there were also misinterpretations. Initially, Matisse was listed alongside Cézanne, Gauguin, and Van Gogh as one of the four great "Post-Impressionists." Little did they know, Matisse was a traitor to Impressionism, first abandoning the pursuit of a "realistic" reproduction of nature, then departing from Divisionism (Pointillism), and moving further and further down the path of Expressionism and Decorative Art. "My philosophy is to use blocks of color to compose the picture, pursue strong colors, and create another kind of texture" - it can be said that it is precisely because of this willful expression of color that Fauvism came into being, which in turn gave rise to Cubism.
A section of the National Art Exhibition, published in China Panorama, 1930.
In October 1929, the Ministry of Education of the Nationalist Government held the first National Art Exhibition in Shanghai and simultaneously published the academic journal "Meizhan." This institutional experiment, modeled on the modern art administration practices of France and Japan, garnered widespread attention. However, the curatorial content also sparked the "Two Xus' Dispute": First, Xu Beihong launched the attack, writing in the journal "Confusion: An Open Letter to Xu Zhimo," "China has an unprecedented national art exhibition, which is a joyous occasion and worthy of celebration. However, the most worthy of celebration are the shameless works of Cézanne, Matisse, Bonnard, and others." He lumped together Western modern art giants like Cézanne, Matisse, and Bonnard as "shameless." In the subsequent rounds, he brought up his rival, Liu Haisu, the spokesperson for Fauvism in China, implying that Liu's imitation of Japanese Fauvist artist Man Tetsugoro's work, "Moonlight," was "a truly shameless work today." In response, Xu Zhimo defended Modernism in "I Am Also 'Confused'—A Letter to Mr. Xu Beihong," but also admitted with regret that the current trend of pursuing novelty and difference did not come directly from the West, but rather from Japan, and that "this second-hand imitation does not seem to be the best enterprise." Xu Zhimo was indeed a worthy interpreter of Western art and Modernism. In comparison, his views were moderate and rational, and their nutritional value was proven by the subsequent development of Modernist art in China.
Matisse's oil painting "Reclining Nude," 1935. The fluid lines remind us of the "Chinese Fauvism" artist Sanyu.
However, the literary dispute did not hinder the Chinese art world's acceptance of Matisse and Fauvism. Theoretically, Liu Haisu, Ni Yide, and others had already conducted in-depth research on Fauvism in the 1920s and 1930s. Their creative achievements were equally impressive. Liu and Ni, along with other artists, emerged from the "Yudong School," particularly the "Japanese to French" group of overseas students, and avant-garde art groups like the Juelan Society, each more vigorous than the last. These included Ding Yanyong, Ding Walasse, Chen Baoyi, Guan Liang, Guan Zilan, and Zhang Xian. Ding Yanyong made no secret of his admiration for Matisse, signing his paintings with "Dintis" for a long time. Sanyu was also known as the "Chinese Fauvist."
Matisse cutting paper under the old plaque that read "Clean Nanchuan", 1951.
Matisse's love for Chinese culture has become a legendary figure in art history. He not only collected Chinese clothing but also diligently studied Chinese calligraphy. For him, Chinese characters were not just ideographic symbols but also forms of beauty. At the age of sixty, he received a precious birthday present: an old plaque inscribed with the words "Integrity Nanchuan" in Yan style calligraphy, written in a simple and natural style. The plaque hung on the wall above his bed, where its owner leaned against it, creating paper-cuts until he left that bedroom forever. In a conversation with Aragon, he quoted Mallarmé's poem, "With a clear and delicate heart, imitate the Chinese / whose pure ecstasy is the end of painting," presumably referring to the artist's later years, after he abandoned painting to focus on paper-cutting.
Matisse's early oil painting "The Joy of Life", 1905-1906.
When Lao Ma said, "For me, enlightenment comes from the East," was he referring to China or Japan? This is a question.
Matisse working on a sculpture in his studio in Nice, 1926.
The Japanese art world's relationship with Matisse dates back to the early days of Fauvism. Thanks to the positive interaction established with the artist himself, the relationship has continued, even after his death, with exchanges of works and exhibitions continuing uninterrupted.
When examining the history of China and Japan's reception of Western modern art, we should fully assess this "incomparable" factor. Henri Matisse's name is believed to have first appeared in Japanese media in 1909, when the French-educated writer Saito Yosato published an article titled "New Trends in Painting and Private Opinions" in the magazine Japan and the Japanese. Following this, Matisse's name, along with reproductions of Fauvist works, began to proliferate in literary and cultural journals such as The White Birch and Subaru. Among these, Kotaro Takamura's art criticism, such as his "Painter's Notebook" and "Green Sun," emphasized his respect for individual feelings and free expression, becoming the highest value of the new art of the early 20th century and gaining recognition within the Chinese cultural community. Many of China's earliest introductions to Matisse and Fauvism stem from translations of Kotaro Takamura's work. In 1912, cultural scholar and advocate of the Mingei Movement, Yanagi Soetsu, published an article titled "The Revolutionary Painter" in Shirakaba (White Birch). He compared Matisse to modernist giants like Cézanne, Van Gogh, and Gauguin, and described his artistic contributions as "revolutionary." In September of the same year, Saito Yori, Kishida Ryusei, Kiyomiya Akira, and Takamura Kotaro jointly founded the Fusain-kai ("Fusain" is French for charcoal drawing) and published its journal, Fusain. Less than a month after its founding, the Fusain-kai held its first exhibition at the Yomiuri Shimbun in Ginza. The exhibition, showcasing numerous works by Van Gogh, Gauguin, and the "Fauves" style, radiated a powerful atmosphere from the enclosed art space, creating a whirlwind for the Taisho era art scene. Among the exhibitors was a 16-year-old painter named Nainosuke, whose artistic life would be profoundly connected to Matisse, but that will be discussed later. Although the Fusain Society held only two exhibitions before disbanding due to ideological differences between its two leaders, Saito Yosato and Kishida Ryusei, its two-year existence gave rise to the Japanese Fauvism movement, Japan's first expressionist art movement and a forerunner of the avant-garde. Artists such as Man Tetsugoro and Umehara Ryuzaburo had a significant influence not only on subsequent Oriental art but also on Chinese art.
"Beppu Route" by Nainosuke, published in the Asahi Shimbun on August 4, 1955.
It can be said that around the 1920s, the Western artist who had the greatest influence on Japan was Matisse.
Because Japan emerged victorious in World War I, its international status and currency value increased, leading to a surge in the number of artists studying in France. In October 1924, Shuji Koyama, writing about his European travels for a Japanese magazine, reported that "in Paris alone, there were no fewer than 300 Japanese artists." Matisse was naturally surrounded by a number of young Japanese artists, including many future masters of art history, such as Arishima Ima, Aoyama Yoshio, and Saeki Yuzo. This led to the so-called "Matisse pilgrimage" in the Taisho period art world. The experience of Na Inosuke, a painter from the Fusain Society, is particularly noteworthy. Na, who achieved fame at a young age, tried his hand at Japanese art at dojos like the Nikakai, but he knew the true art world lay beyond Tokyo. How could a young Western artist resist the allure of modern art? In 1921, immediately after the end of the European War, he embarked on a study tour in France, joining Shigejiro Sakamoto and Narashige Koide. One winter day, two or three years later, after spending Christmas in Nice, my wife's hometown in France, I was on my way back to Paris by train through Marseille when I ran into Matisse. The following six-hour journey became a discussion of Eastern and Western art. As a farewell, the young man asked Matisse to take a look at his work when he had time. From then on, every Saturday afternoon, I would visit Matisse's studio with my work, a visit that became a regular. Matisse was fascinated by this talented yet unassuming, gentle and ever-smiling young Japanese man, and he considered him a close friend in the arts. Their friendship lasted a lifetime.
In March 1951, the "Henri Matisse Exhibition" opened at the Tokyo National Museum.
Nainosuke studied in France twice, living in Paris for ten years. Returning to Japan in October 1935, he embarked on a career as a professional artist. He maintained a constant correspondence with Matisse and effectively became his agent in Japan. As a collector of Matisse's works, he enjoyed privileged access. For example, in a letter from Matisse to Nainosuke dated January 5, 1936, he included three photographs. He wrote:
...Enclosed are photographs of the painting. Remember, this is the painting you said you wanted, and these three photos should show everything about it. The price is 20,000 francs. I'll keep it with you until you decide whether to purchase it. Since mailing is too slow, you can send a telegram with your yes or no. My telegraphic address is ESSITEM NICE FRANCE. You only need to add a yes or no to the text above, four words at most.
While informing him of the rules, he also sought to reduce communication costs for the other party's benefit, demonstrating the compassion of an artistic elder towards his student. In early 1950, I received another letter from Matisse. Concerned about my life in the "defeated" Japan, he invited me to come to France if possible. At that time, Japanese citizens needed permission from the occupying forces to travel abroad, a very cumbersome procedure. However, with an invitation from abroad, this could be accommodated. It was Matisse's letter that convinced me to resign my teaching position at the Tokyo University of the Arts without hesitation and travel to France for a third time. This time, however, I had a specific purpose and had made careful arrangements beforehand.
In August 1951, Nainosuke flew to Paris via Rome. Upon meeting Matisse, he bluntly proposed a retrospective in Tokyo. Matisse flatly declined, fearing the Korean War would escalate and his works would become casualties, reduced to ashes. Despite Matisse's resistance, Nainosuke willingly served as his assistant, helping him solve technical problems such as the joining of ceramic tiles for the Vence Chapel. He also persevered, persevering, and ultimately convinced Matisse.
Bungeishunju magazine has launched four special issues of the "Henri Matisse Exhibition", all of which have Matisse's paper-cut patterns on the cover.
In March 1951, the "Henri Matisse Exhibition," co-organized by the National Museum of Japan and the Yomiuri Shimbun, opened at the National Museum of Japan in Tokyo for two months, then toured to the Osaka City Museum of Art and the Kurashiki Ohara Museum of Art. The exhibition featured 114 works, including a model of the Chapel of Vence, his final work. This was the first solo exhibition of a Western master to be held in postwar Japan, and it was an unprecedented event. Approximately 300,000 people visited the three venues, including the Emperor and Empress Dowager, the Empress Dowager, the Crown Prince, and dignitaries such as Prime Minister Yoshida Shigeru. The media coverage was so relentless and overwhelming that it was dubbed the "Matisse Typhoon." Bungeishunju magazine alone published a special issue. Matisse presented three works (two ink portraits and a pencil sketch) to the Yomiuri Shimbun, one of the organizers of the exhibition, as a token of his gratitude.
Matisse's life project - the Chapel of Vence.
Almost simultaneously with his solo exhibition, the modernist architectural master Kenzo Tange took the opportunity of attending the World Congress of Architects to visit Matisse in Paris, attempting to explore Matisse's life project, the Chapel of Vence, from an architectural perspective. However, Matisse said to Tange:
I only use my hands to express my feelings. Architects create with their heads and calculations, while I use my sensibility and hands. Some people ask me if I can't work with architects. Personally, I don't know any architects I could collaborate with, because collaboration is extremely difficult.
In a pamphlet published on the occasion of the completion of the new Vence Chapel, Lao Ma recorded the origins of the chapel and the significance of that work: "For me, this chapel is the destination of all the work throughout my career. It is the final fruition of great, sincere and arduous efforts."
"Foujita Tsuguharu: Yellow Skin in the School of Paris", written by Liu Ning, published by Shandong Pictorial Publishing House in January 2014.
Thus, in later years, building a church in a tranquil and desirable location, a vessel that embodies a lifetime's artistic refinement, making it a "tombstone" to mark the coffin of one's artistic life, is an ideal way for an artist to die. Another veteran artist, the yellow-skinned Tsuguharu Foujita of the School of Paris, is one who followed this path. In October 1966, Léonard Foujita, who had become a French citizen and converted to Catholicism, spent his final years single-handedly completing the construction and decoration of the Chapel of Our Lady of Peace in Reims, even at the cost of his own flesh and blood. He was ultimately buried in the church's crypt.
Historically, Matisse's return to East Asia occurred as early as the early postwar period, marked by the 1951 "Henri Matisse" exhibition at the Tokyo National Museum. Because East Asia was still a fragmented society at the time, information about Matisse and Fauvism naturally couldn't be shared in the same instantaneous manner as it is today. Comparatively speaking, Matisse's art seems to have more interaction with Japanese art than with Chinese art, which is an objective assessment. I'll briefly mention three points, but for the sake of space, I'll stop there:
Matisse's lines are rarely closed, fully maintaining breathability
Lines are breathable. In the genealogy of Western art, Matisse is one of the painters known for his understanding and skillful use of line. Although he never discussed his understanding of "ma," he clearly understood the importance of that element to Japanese aesthetics. This is reflected in his creations, where his lines are rarely closed, but rather maintain a sense of "breathability." This is considered a reference to Eastern art.
Matisse's ink-and-brush portrait is an abstract refinement of Noh masks and Toshusai Sharaku Ukiyo-e paintings.
Noh mask head. Matisse was influenced by various aspects of Oriental art, including Ukiyo-e and Noh theatre. This can be understood by simply looking at Matisse's ink-line head. Rather, Matisse's ink-line painting is an abstract "purification" of Noh masks and Toshusai Sharaku's works.
Matisse's paper cutout "Blue Nude IV".
Pictograms, or Japanese pictograms, are a secondary creation of the Japanese based on Matisse's paper-cut blue nude series.
Graphism. It's undeniable that Matisse's art possesses a strong graphic quality. Combined with the bold, vibrant colors of Fauvism, it easily blends with contemporary Japanese commercial art, which prioritizes flat-surface representation (such as the "superflat" style found in popular anime). This isn't a disparagement of Matisse. On the contrary, I'd argue that Matisse's art possesses a timeless quality, even a sense of contemporaneity, somewhat reminiscent of Lautrec during the Belle Époque. Look at Lautrec's Moulin Rouge posters, with their riotous scenes of long-legged dancers performing the cancan—do they feel outdated? After being "adopted" by Japan, Matisse's graphic style has been extensively reimagined, fostering new art and culture. A well-known example is pictograms, or Japanese-style figurines. These are pictograms, a Japanese-style symbol based on the paper-cut figurines of Matisse's later years. They're relatively recent, having gained significant popularity at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. In 1970, taking advantage of the revision of the Fire Protection Act, the Japanese government publicly solicited design proposals from the public and standardized and systematized them. In addition to sports events, it is also widely used in public places such as airports, ports, and stations. It has long since overflowed national borders and become an "international buzzword", which objectively strengthened Japan's "symbolic empire" attributes.
(The original title of this article is "Matisse in East Asia")
