... movement, the research of Michael Lucken, Director of the Center for Japanese Studies at Inalco, is essential. Lucken shows that this Greek influence was not simply a superficial admiration, but a profound assimilation of an ancient culture in a period of Japanese ultranationalism. Unlike a circumstantial emulation of German neoclassicism, this adoption of Greek aesthetics aimed to distance itself from Chinese influence and to place Japanese culture in the lineage of ancient Greece.
The opening of Japan during the Meiji era was marked by intensive training in Western artistic techniques and themes. The first art school, established in 1876 by the Ministry of Industry, aimed to train young people capable of supporting the nascent industry. Italian artists, such as the sculptor Vincenzo Ragusa, were invited to teach and introduced plaster casts as study models. This training, based on the study of classical sculpture, has endured, making plaster collections a standard in Japanese art schools.
Since the 1890s, every art school in Japan has accumulated collections of plaster casts, and students were required to master these models before entering prestigious institutions. Japanese artists of the 1930s and 1940s, who created works in the neoclassical style, all underwent this rigorous training.
This Greek influence allowed Japanese artists to free themselves from their Chinese heritage, reorienting their culture towards a direct connection with Greek antiquity. Aizu Yaichi, a professor of art history, wrote in 1922: "Nara, in the world history of art, is the last fire of magnificent Greek sculpture."
Works produced during this period are rare and virtually absent from Western collections. Their production was limited due to the troubled period of the war and the desire for renewal that followed.
This 130 x 60 x 30 cm paulownia sculpture is a precious testimony to this unique period in the history of Japanese art.