Выпуск 5

230 Lukasz M. Sadowski

The opening of Japan became a veiy important factor for developement of Western art. The «Japanese Craze» in the second half of 19th centuiy meant not only collecting of kimonos, kakemons, katanas or decorated screens and fans. The most intersting for artists and intellectuals ofthe period were the Japanese woodblock prints. It showed the other point of view, other perspective, other «flat» colours and the lack ofchiaroscuro’ light and shade effects to the European artists. This was especially inspirating for the impressionist painters, unless the influence of Japanese prints were also very strong in the Art Nouveau period. The Emil Zola’s portrait by Edouard Manet shows his studio with photograph of Manet’s Olimpia, Velasquez’s print of Bachus and the Japanese print on the wall.5 It started in 1856, when Felix Bracquermond found Kastushika Hokusai’s masterpieces used as a pack for imported china. Opening of Madamme Desoye’s Antique oriental store, the Paris World Exibition in 1867 (with the début of Japan as ai participant) created grand explosionjaponaise. Among collectors we can find the names of the most important artists like: Edouard Manet, Henri Fantin-Latour, Edgar Degas, Claude Monet.6 This fascination made a strong transformation (not stylization only!) ofWestern art. The general tendency in those period was opposite it was colonialism which had forced to the non-European civilisations its way of life and art.7

Jasienski shortly became one of the most prominent collectors, buying in antique stores and in second hand booksellers. His interests were mainly focused on ukiyo-e prints, but he was purchasing also paintings and crafts. «Jasienski, under the influence of the prevailing fashion, got fascinated by the exotism of his art and also by its formal values».8

He came back to Poland around 1888, returning with his whole collection. He was still completing the Oriental masterpieces, buying them with a help of his friends and agents in Paris, in Berlin and in Japan. One of his dreams was a journey to Japan, journey he had never took.9 Despite of that he was considered by the Polish society as an experienced traveller to the exotic countries. The Polish writter Magdalena Samozwaniec (Magdalena Kossak- Starzewska-Niewdowska 1894-1972) describes him in her memories as an «interesting type», who «was living for a long time in the Far East, from where he took the rare masterpieces of old-Chinese and Japanese art. • 10 She was a completly wrong, but this shows how he was concidered and what kind of a legend surrounded him. Probably — except his collection and a vast knowledge about Orient — also his excentric look (black beard, great-black glasses, black cloak, black hat) helped in creating such kind of opinions. He

5Sztuka Swiata t. 8. Warszawa, 1994, p. 243.

6Alberowa Z. О sztuce Japonil Warszawa, 1983, p. 164.

7Sztuka èwiata, t. 8, p. 243.

8Alberowa Z. Ukiyo-e, n. p.

9Zachwatowicz K(ed.), Manggha Centrum Sztuki i Techniki Japonskiej, no date, p .13 (text by Zofia Alberowa).

10 Samozwaniec Magdalena, Maria i Magdalena. Krakow, 1960, p. 147. The fragment ofthe text translated from Polish into English by Lukasz M. Sadowski.

also took a nickname «Manggha» — pseudonym after the title of one of Hokusai’s albums.11

Jasienski firstly settled down in Warsaw. He was enthusiastic about Oriental (especially Japanese) art. He had published several articles about it, trying to present and explain its specify to the contemporary Poles. But he was the solitaire enthusiast: «Jasienski hoped to share his enthusiasm with the inhabitants ofWarsaw (•••)• He began to write articles on the Japanese art, and in 1901 he organized the first exibition of his collection at Zachçta. However, the reaction ofthe public (...) was unexpected. As Jasienski summed uphimself: thepublic openly ridiculed not only myperson, but also thepictures exibited and. I recieved hundreds of anonymous letters (...) saying that I propagated the tins of tea, and further: They regarded one of the most powerful most original and most subtile of arts, that mankind has ever procreated as ridiculus, ineffective lucubrations of the dying out cannibalistic tribe far uglier than the labels on thepack ofthe Chinese tea sold by the Popow firm in Moscow. As a counter-reaction, Jasienski hung the provocative and derisive slogans: such as: Chinese tea and Japanese art have nothing in common, and Notfor rotters.12

After this scandal, Jasienski defenitely left Warsaw. In the same 1901 year he moved with his collection across the border to another Polish town — Cracow (Krakow). The second (after Lvov-Lwow-Lemberg) town of AustroHungarians ruled Galicia, Cracow had a deep academic and artistic traditions. The former royal capital of Poland was the site of oldest (founded in 14th century) Polish university. With its Academy of Fine Arts it was also probably the most important artistic place in those times. Despite its old traditions, that was here where the most vanguard «Young Poland» arists were active. One of the reasons was liberal policy of Austrian goverment. In here (opositly to Russian and German occupied parts of Poland), the Polish culture, language, tradition was not opressed by the authorities.

Feliks Manggha Jasienski settled down in the heart of Cracow’s Old Town. He frequently opended up to the public his collection, located in his flat at the comer of Sw. Jana Street and Rynek (Market Place). He found in here the far more better atmosphere and climate for presenting his passion. His collection on the other hand became at least a source of formal inspiration for many Cracow’s artists among them the best Polish painters and grafic artist of that period.13

After coming back from France Jasienski was thinking about idea of presenting his collection to the Polish nation. After scandal in Zachçta, «disheartened to Warsaw», he offered in 1920 his collection to the National Museum in Cracow.14 Till his death in 1929 the great part of masterpieces were still in his flat, with a small number showed to the public.

11 Alberowa Z. Ukiyo-e, n. p.

12Ibid.

13Ibid.; Zachwatowicz K. (ed.), Manggha, p .13 (text by Zofia Alberowa). 14Alberowa Z. Ukiyo-e, n. p.

1.2. Felix Manggha Jasienski and his influence on Polish art in the beginning of the 20th century

The Jasienski^ fascination were one of the important factors in Polish art of the fin-de-siècle periods. After his arrival to Cracow, visiting his collection became popular among artists. The Japanese motives appeared in the Polish art earlier in the 2nd half of 19th centuiy, as a symptom of the «Japanese Craze» (Olga Boznanska: «Japanese Girl» 1889, «In the Studio» c . 1890, Stanislaw Dçbicki «Japanese Girl» 1891). The circle of artists, friends ofJasienski started to «Japonise» Polish art in the first decade of the 20th century. Not only woodblocks prints, but also pictures, landscapes, portraits were made in Oriental spirit. The part of his collection (Buddha bronze, porcelain statues) are visible in painting called «Europa Jubilans» by Jözef Mehoffer (1905). His accesories are also on Jözef Pankiewicz’s «Japanese Girl» (1908) where artist showed his wife dressed in kimono from Manggha’s collection. Jasienski himself was portraited also by Jözef Pankiewicz (1908) but the most is his famous portrait painted by Leon Wyczötkowski in 1911. The great collector is sitting, dressed in Japanese dress-gown, keeping Utagawa Hiroshige’s woodblock prints in his hands. Wyczölkowski was also an author of numerous still lives inspired with Oriental art («White Orchids» 1910) as well as many landscapes with pine trees.15 The friendship between Manggha and Wyczötkowski and their fascination with Japan was veiy popular. One of the best caricaturist of the period, Kazimierz Sichulski draw the famous «Japanese style» caricature: «Wyczöl and Manggha are flying to Japan» (1906) which became a part of the «Zielony Balonik» cabaret’s interior decoration.16

Despite of the direct inspirations, it is sure that Jasienski^ entusiasm and knowledge made a lot for the popularisation of Oriental art in Poland. Artists like: «Pankiewicz, Mehoffer, Faiat, Dçbicki, Wyczölkowski, Weiss, Wojtkiewicz, Siuchulski i Ruszczyc, undoubtedly after watching [Manggha’s collec- tion-L. M. S.] masterpieces, put into their pictures some formal conventions, characteristic to the Japanese woodblock prints and paintings».17 It had an strong influence on Polish art of the «Art Nouveau» period.

2. The collection of Feliks Manggha Jasienski

Of course he was not the first collector of an Oriental (Japanese) art in Poland. The firstJapan pieces ofart came to Poland in 17th centuiy. The statues of gods, chinas, laquer furnitures etc. appeared in aristocratic or king’s (Jan Sobieski’s) collections as purchases of goods from Dutch East India Company

15 Kossowska I., Kossowski L” Malarstwo polskie Symbolizm i Mloda Polska,

Warszawa, 2010, p. 160-162.

16 «Zielony Balonik» (The Green Baloon) was the most famous Polish artistic cabaret active in «Jama Michalikowa» cafe in the first decade ofthe 20th century. Itwas the most important place for informal gatherings of artists and members of Polish «Bohema». Ki*zysztofowicz-Kozakowska Stefania, Sztuka Mlodej Polskl Krakow (no date), p. 238.

17Alberowa Z. SztukaJaponska w zbiorachpolskich. Warszawa, 1987, p. 8.

(VOC) merchants18. Till the end of chinoiserie fashion in the begenning of 19th century, there were several Polish residences with Japanese craft as apart of interior’s decoration. One of the most notorious collector ofJapanese china was king of Poland and elector of Saxony August the Second, from Wettin dynasty.19

Jasienski's collection was created in a different way. Firstly it was a fashion, also a fascination of exotism. Within a few years he had started to classify it in a scientific way. He was probably forming his collection to show not only rewiev of art, but also all aspects of everyday life in ancient Japan.20 Except this, he purchased masterpieces from other Oriental countries (China, Java), as well a splendid collection of European and Polish paintings and graphic art.21 Some of them he acquired directly from the contemporary artists — some of them — were his close friends.

The main part of the collection is a Japanese art of course. In 1929 it contained around seven thousands exhibits. Among them were: around five thousand woodblock prints ukiyo-e almost seven hundred and twenty arms and armours, around one hundred and twenty paintings, more than one hundred laquerwares, some obi, china, ivory and bone sculptures, bronzes, enamels. The most important were the ukiyo-e woodblock prints of course. Jasienski gathered some ofthe finests examples ofSuzuki Hanurobu, Kitagawa Utamaro, Katsushika Hokusai, Utagawa Hiroshige prints. Unfortunatelly, during the World War 2 around five hundred, the most precious prints were robbed by Germans. Those masterpieces had never been found after.. ,22

3. Feliks Manggha Jasienski’s collection after his death. The creation of «Manggha» museum in Cracow.

As I have mentioned it above, Feliks Jasienski offered his collection to the National Museum in Cracow in 1920. Till his death in 1929 he was a custodian ofit in his own, private flat. The National Museum did not have enough space for so many masterpieces. Only ten years after his death everything was moved to the house at Szczepanski Square. The building was especially offered by Wlodzimiera and Adam Szolayski. The so-called «Szotayski House» was a place for exibitions till1990’s, unless it was still not big enough to present the whole collection.23

During the World War 2, in 1944 in German occupied Cracow, some of the prints were exibited in Sukkiennice Galleiy. The exibitions were quite rare and unusual events in those times. German occupants cutted offthe Polish society from any cultural activity and events. I believe that the only reason for such

18Alberowa Z. Sztukajaponska, p. 7.

19 Ibid.

20Zachwatowicz K. (ed.), Manggha, p .13 (text by Alberowa).

21Alberowa Z. Sztukajaponska, p. 8.

22Ibid, p. 9.

23Alberowa Z. О sztuce JaponiU p. 167.

234 Lukasz M. Sadowski

a presentation could be a propaganda aspect for showing the artistic traditions of Japenese allies. One of the visitors of the 1944 Sukiennice’s exibition was 19 years old Andrzej Wajda. The further famous Polish film director and Oscar prize winner was deeply impressed and enchanted by those Japanese masterpieces. The exibition «opened the world of new experiences and sunk into his memory».24

Forty three years later, on 10th November 1987, Andrzej Wajda won the Inamori — Kyoto Prize. This prize was given for his artistic creations. He and his wife Krystynä Zachwatowicz have decieded to give the whole amount of money — 450 000 US dollars for constructing of the new museum. The museum which would be a place for Jasienski's collection.

Within a few years the new created (1988) foundation Kyoto-Krakôw gathered (mainly from Japanese sponsors) the sum of 5 milions dollars, which allows the construction in the year 1993.25

The city ofCracow offered the piece ofland on the bank ofthe Vistula (Wisla) river, in the central part of the town, exactly opposite the old royal castle Wawel. The famous Japanese architect Arata Isozaki who choose the place together with Andrzej Wajda, agreed to make a free project for the museum buildings. Because ofthe location within historical context, the whole complex is low. One of the architect’s aims was avoiding the contrast between the modem construction and old building surronding the place. Especially important was visual relation between museum and Wawel which is located just across the river. The river, the water is also an important part ofthe project. Arata Isozaki created the wave-like roof, which is a symbolical link to one of the most famous Hokusai’s prints, showing the big wave with fishere’s boats and Fuji-san in the back ground. This woodblock print is one of the most important masterpieces of the Jasienski's collection.26 Another symbolical link can be location next to the river, with the «waved» roof motive «repeating» the real waves of the water nearby.

Krzysztof Ingarden, the Polish architect who cooperated with Arata Isozaki gaves an interesting analyzis of materials used for the construction. Architect used the Polish sandstone to cover the walls, also interiors are made from brick and wood according to the local tradition. Using materials (especially bricks) which are completly strange to the Japanese tradition in building which is a place for showing Japanese art has its sense. Arata Isozaki gives an information that the new building stands close to the brick walls of the royal castle — clearly visibles through great windows. It is also a «signal» that the «Manggha» complex belongs culturaly to this Polish, historical area.

The interiors used for exibitions purposes has — on the other hand — dark wooden constructions, which reminds the atmosphere ofthe obscure interiors of Japanese Edo’s Period castles.

24Zachwatowicz K. (ed.), Manggha, p. 30.

25Ibid., p. 33-37.

26Kanagawa-oki nami-ura, Under the Wave off Kanagawa (also called: Great Wave

off Kanagawa) from series: Fugaku senjü rokkei, Thirty-six views of Mount Fuji, by Katsushika Hokusai from early 1830 s. See: Alberowa Z., Ukio-e, n. p.

The collection ofJapanese Art ofFeliks Manqgha Jasienski ____235

The construction took fifteen months and was comleted in 1994.27

The official name of the place (which obviously refers to Jasienski's pseudonym) is: The Manggha Centre of Japanese Art and Technology (Manggha Centrum Sztuki i Techniki Japonskiej). Despite art-exibition areas, it also contains the conference hall, library and reading-room, Japanese shop with books and souvenirs, tea-house with restaurant, Japanese garden28. The collection of Feliks Manggha Jasienski which belongs to National Museum in Cracow is periodicly showed in here. Due to conser­ vation regulations, especially the old prints cannot be showed permanently on the exibition, that is why «Manggha» is famous for their temporary exibitions29. The museum’s collection was enriched by donations from other collectors (Edward Goldstein, Leon Kostka), but still the masterpieces purchased by Jasienskfs are majority of its objects.

The passion of Feliks Manggha Jasienski was notjust a «folly» of a rich, well educated collector. His activity introduced the Japanese art to the Polish society in the beginning of the 20th century. It had a very strong influence on Polish art and culture of that period. At least, the fact that he generously offered his collection to the Nation made Cracow one of the most important centres ofJapanese art outside Japan. His life, his passion was an inspiration for others. Grace to people like him, Andrzej Wajda, Arata Isozaki and others one of the most intersting centres exists now in the former capital of Poland.

Bibliography

1.Alberowa Zofia, О sztuce Japonii. Warszawa, 1983.

2.Alberowa Zofia, Sztukajaponska w zbiorachpolskich. Warszawa, 1987.

3.Alberowa Zofia (ed.), Ukiyo-e — Dawny Drzeworyt Japonski ze Zbiorow Muzeum Narodowego w Krakowie, Kolekcja Feliksa Jasienskiego; Ukiyo-e — Old Japanese Wood-block Printfrom the National Museum in Cracow, Feliks Jasienski Collection.

Catalogue ofthe exibition. Krakow, 1988.

4.Kossowska Irena, Kossowski Lukasz. Malarstwo polskie Symbolizm i Mloda Pol­ ska. Warszawa, 2010.

5.Krzysztofowicz-Kozakowska Stefania. SztukaMlodej Polski. Krakow (no date).

6.Samozwaniec Magdalena. Mariai Magdalena. Krakow, I960.

7.Sztuka âwiata. Tom 8. Warszawa, 1994.

8.Zachwatowicz Kiystyna (ed.). Manggha Centrum Sztuki i Techniki Japonskiej, no date.

9.www.manggha.krakow.pi (date: 12.01.2012).

10. pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feliks_Jasienski (date: 12.01.2012).

27Zachwatowicz K. (ed.), Manggha, p .17 (text by Arata Isozaki) and p. 18-19 (text by KrzysztofIngarden).

28The centre has a very good web site pages in Polish, English and Japanese, see: www.manggha.krakow.pi

29For example the recent exibition: Mount Fuji. Hokusai and Hiroshige. The Japanese landscape woodblock prints from Feliks Manggha Jasienski collection (20.01.-06.05. 2012).

Юмэдзи повезло— у него были учителя, которые помогли ему найти себя, свое место в мире искусства. Один из них— Окада Сабуросукэ, профессор Токийской школы изящного искусства, посмотрев пейзажи молодого иеще не известного тогда художника, сказал ему следующее: «Дорога уче­ ничества в школе — не для тебя. Она не только не подходит тебе, но и мо­ жет уничтожить ту искру Божию, что заложена в тебе. Тебе следует ис­ кать свой Путь. Не думай, что он будет простым; иди, ищи и находи...»

Постепенно Юмэдзи нашел то, к чему неосознанно стремилась его душа. Девушка в кимоно, ее лицо, поза, жест, ее внутренний мир — вот что в первую очередь притягивало художника. Современники заговорили о новом художественном стиле — «Юмэдзи-сики бидзин» («красавицы в стиле Юмэдзи»). Так произошло рождение нового имени — Такэхиса Модзиро исчез, а его место занял Такэхиса Юмэдзи. Этот художествен­ ный псевдоним был взят им в возрасте 22 лет. Записывался он сначала иероглифами («сон», «два»), затем был принят другой вариант запи­ си — («таинственный», «небытие», «дорога»). Но впоследствии пер­ воначальный вариант утвердился как окончательный. Под ним Такэхиса Юмэдзи и вошел в историю...

«Стиль Юмэдзи» был особенно популярным в эпоху Тайсё и даже упо­ минался в некоторых художественных произведениях того времени, в частности в рассказе Акутагава Рюноскэ «Лук» (1919). Можно сказать, что Такэхиса Юмэдзи был удостоен неофициального титула — «романтик эпо­ хиТайсё», поскольку значительная часть его творческого пути пришлась именно на эти годы. В его работах очень точно и живо отражаются вея­ ния того времени — идеи обновления, значимости личности и свободы в человеческих взаимоотношениях, взаимопроникновение японской и западной культур. Красавицы на картинах Юмэдзи одеты в кимоно, но при этом держат европейские зонтики («Аки но икои» — «Осень. Отдых», 1920); прогуливаются под руку с мужчинами, одетыми по-европейски —

вкостюме, в котелке и с тростью; дегустируют ликер, сидя за столом поевропейски («Аои сакэ» — «Ликер с ментолом», 1920), или даже играют на сямисэне и танцуют для португальских миссионеров (серия картин «Виды Нагасаки», «Из страны варваров»). В поздних работах Юмэдзи мы видим девушек, одетых по-европейски — в лёгких платьях, с модными коротки­ ми прическами, ничем не похожих на традиционных красавиц в кимоно (рекламный журнал магазина «Мицукоси», «Судзусики ёсоои» — «Летние наряды», 1925).

Разумеется, мода эпохи Тайсё также не могла не отразиться в произве­ дениях художника. В большинстве своем «красавицы Юмэдзи» облачены

вкимоно, и рисунок на кимоно также своеобразен. Иногда это клетка или полоска, иногда — однотонное, без рисунка кимоно, иногда на ткани изо­ бражены крупные цветы. Интересно, что на кимоно иногда можно заме­ тить иероглифы, помогающие глубже раскрыть образ персонажа (так, на­ пример, слова «ёру» — «ночь» и «тэмакура» — «положив руку под голову», изображенные на кимоно куртизанки в картине «Кириситан батэрэн торай но дзу» — «Картина прибытия в Японию патеров-христиан»,1914).

В эпоху Мэйдзи и ранние годы Тайсё колорит верхней одежды был не слишком броским: не только мужчины, но и женщины носили одежду всевозможных оттенков синего, коричневого, серого цветов. Среди орна­ ментов преобладали полоска и клетка, которая создавала монотонное впечатление. Нижние же слои были ярких цветов, и даже пожилые жен­ щины носили ярко-красные или лиловые нижние кимоно с узорчатыми воротниками и подолом. Еще в эпоху Эдо военное правительство перио­ дически издавало указы о запрете роскоши и ярких цветов в одежде, поэ­ тому женщины надевали цветные кимоно под темные и умело скрывали от глаз правительственных чиновников свое богатство. Тогда же появил­ ся новый эстетический принцип: богато украшенная одежда выглядит гораздо привлекательнее, когда ее видно лишь мельком при ходьбе. Един­ ственное, что всегда было видно из-под верхнего кимоно, — это съемный воротничок, который всегда украшали искусной вышивкой. Особенно­ стью картин Юмэдзи было то, что часто в изображении одежды исполь­ зовались контрастные цвета (светлое кимоно — тёмный пояс-«оби» и на­ оборот), яркие цветовые пятна (нижний воротничок «ханъэри» или пояс «обиагэ» алого цвета и т. д.). На некоторых картинах светлая кожа краса­ виц оттенялась темными тонами кимоно или чёрными поясами-«оби». Официантки кафе изображаются по моде того времени — в белых фар­ тучках, надетых поверх темного кимоно (картина «Кафэ но рюко» — «Мода кофеен», 1911).

Если говорить об основных жанрах, в которых работал Юмэдзи, то можно перечислить следующие: женский портрет, детский портрет, бы­ товые сценки, пейзаж, цветочный и геометрический орнамент. Ранние картины были посвящены майко Киото — молоденьким ученицам гейш. Другая тема творчества — взаимоотношения мужчины и женщины. Еще одна из тем, интересовавших его, была тема первых миссионеров-хрис- тиан, приехавших в Японию в XVI в. и обосновавшихся в Нагасаки. Был в творчестве Юмэдзи и период увлечения цирком, цирковыми артиста­ ми, что также нашло свое отражение в картинах.

Основные стилистические черты и приемы в работах Юмэдзи можно назвать следующие — контрасты цвета, приглушенный, мягкий свет, угловатые позы, S-образный женский силуэт, крупные глаза и кисти рук, привлекающие внимание яркие аксессуары. Юмэдзи создавал работы и в стиле «нихон-га» (японская традиционная живопись), и в стиле европей­ ского импрессионизма. Такое разнообразие тем и стилей поражало со­ временников художника. Многие отмечали, что в его картинах ощущает­ ся истинно японский дух, при этом необыкновенно изящно и изысканно использованы европейские приемы письма и техника.

Работал он и акварельными красками, и маслом, и карандашом, часть картин была оформлена в виде японских свитков, часть обрамлена в со­ ответствии с европейской традицией. Сохранилось несколько высоких ширм, которые художник расписывал для художественной галереи «Удзумаки-тэй» в г. Тояма. Помимо этого, Юмэдзи собственноручно выре­ зал и печатал гравюры на досках («моку-ханга»).