The Role of the Artist

In Japanese art, the focus on tradition and national identity embody the different understanding of artist as forebearer of tradition and producer of material culture rather than the Western idealization of the creative genius. These works depict the artist as working within a longstanding tradition, differing from the Western understanding of painting, theatre, community, and self. This rigidity in Japanese art is present in the invocation of traditional Japanese art forms and the exploration of how the artist fits within those traditional roles.

    The Man Making Noh Masks portrays the carver in discussion with the longstanding and distinctly Japanese tradition of Noh theatre. The photo Kono Shuson intentionally places him within the Japanese painting tradition through the media he is using. The print of the actor Ichikawa Ebizö is an ukiyo-e print. This is a form of print designed to invoke the Japanese identity by pulling from earlier stylistic forms in Japanese art.