TALK ON ANCIENT ROMANCE
Study for Talk on Ancient Romance: Composition II, 1896
The idea of Talk on Ancient Romance was conceived during
a trip to Kyoto in the autumn of 1893, immediately after Kuroda's
return from France. While walking around Kiyomizu Temple, Kuroda
stopped at Seikan Temple, which was located at the foot of Emperor
Takakura's mausoleum, and listened to a monk telling a tale of tragic
love. This gave him a wondrous inspiration as if drifting away from
reality. Two years later, following the incident regarding Morning
Toilette, a painting of a nude, Kuroda acquainted the minister
of education, SAIONJI Kinmochi. Through Saionji, Kuroda received
a commission from the Sumitomo family and began working on Talk
on Ancient Romance from the following year. As the charcoal
drawings in our collection indicate, he made detailed sketches of
the body as a whole, in detail, and in the nude. He then executed
studies in oil before starting the final version. It was two years
later in 1898 that he finally completed this project. As the final
version was burnt in a fire, the only clue to the overall image
of the original painting is this Compositional Study II.
Judging from the elaborate process in completing this painting and
the number of studies executed, it was one of the most representative
works among those produced at the climax of his career.
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Composition 1, 1895 |
a View of Seikan Temple, 1895 |
Composition II, 1896 |
a View of Seikan Temple, 1896 |
Gate of Seikan Temple, 1896 |
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a Girl mower, 1896 |
a Monk, 1896 |
a Maiko, 1896 |
a Nakai-maid, 1896 |
a Man, 1896 |
a Maiko, 1896 |
a Man and a Maiko, 1896 |
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Sketches
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[Composition] 1896 |
[Hands] 1896 |
[a Maiko] 1896 |
[a Man] 1896 |
[Legs] 1896 |
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[Hands] 1896 |
[a Man] 1896 |
[a Nakai - maid] 1896 |
[a Nakai - maid] 1896 |
[a Maiko] 1896 |
[a Maiko] 1896 |
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[a Woman's face]
1896 |
[a Monk] 1896 |
[Monk's Hands] 1896 |
[a Girl mower] 1896 |
[a Girl mower] 1896 |
[Monk's legs] 1896 |
[materials] 1896 |
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Attempts at Compositions
This painting began from the
emotion caused by the story Kuroda heard in invigorating surroundings.
Instead of depicting the story itself, he attempted to reproduce
the inspirational situation through a group composition. Although,
in a respect, it was an example of a "proper" work, a "composition",
which Kuroda had frequently been advocating since his return from
France, the result was a contemporary genre painting. The studies
in oil and the charcoal drawings for this painting were all submitted
to The 1st Hakuba-kai Exhibition and were influential in
the emergence of fine examples of Meiji genre painting such as Evening
at the Ferry by WADA Eisaku and The Lesson by SHIRATAKI Ikunosuke.
Athough Kuroda made further
attempts at compositions such as Wisdom, Impression, Sentiment,
judging from the finish of such works, the artist himself was not
fully satisfied with them. Compositions as an intensive manifestation
of academicism were thus a lifelong theme for Kuroda.
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