My Book Ⅰ
Written by Hiroyuki Ikeda
[ No.17 ] Picture of Shohaku Soga 曽我蕭白 5.21, 2013
The other day, I went to see the Boston Museum of Fine Arts exhibition. Among the number of splendid works which have been on exhibit there, I had great interest in the works of one genius. Shohaku Soga, ( 15 of Kyoho, 1730〜Tenmei 1,1781 ) was a painter(絵師) of the Edo period but his mysterious life is unknown. He was born a child of the merchant Tanbaya in Kyoto, recent study suggests. Koseiji Temple in Kyoto's Kamigyo-ku district houses Shohaku’s masterpiece “Kanzan and Jittoku 寒山拾得” and his family and his tomb are there. His pictures are distinctive for : accurate and minute depiction, dynamic representation of boldness and accuracy, grasp of bold spatial delineation, the ingenious use of bright colors, etc. From the most daring in the unconventional in painting history of the Edo period, Shohaku is positioned as a painter of “heresy” ,”madness” or “mysterious genius”. Recently, he has been positioned as a painter of distinctive conspicuousness in painting history of the Edo period. Shohaku's works number 159 with landscapes accounting for 24, flowers and birds 49, and figures 89. (10 of his pictures are now on exhibit in Osaka and those works are all characterized by specific expression.) Due to the sudden change in social conditions from the Edo period to Meiji, also because historical treasure was strictly protected by the emperor, aristocrats, temples and shrines, those treasures were released and Shohaku was even forgotten in the Meiji era. Many works of Shohaku were also damaged or lost but many of the works were brought into the Boston Museum by the physician William Sturgis Bigelow and now the Museum has become the world biggest collection of Shohaku.
I like Shohaku’s “Kanzan and Jittoku 寒山拾得” of Kyoto Koseiji Temple with its magic atmosphere or patterns and I was very attracted to the unconventional style of his paintings. This time I was especially overwelmed by the big 8-face screen of “Dragon and Clouds 雲龍図” and it has just been repaired by the Boston Museum recently and this composition was a big highlight of this exhibition in Osaka.
Last November, Tadanori Yokoo Museum was open around here in front of Ouji Koen park. He was born in Hyogo prefecture. They say some of his works imitate Shohaku’s work.
The Boston Museum exhibition is now being held in Osaka until June so why don't you go to see it ? You don't have to go to Boston if you are satisfied by this chance.
Boston Museum : http://www.boston-nippon.jp/highlight
Museum of Fine Arts Boston : http://www.mfa.org/
Shohaku 蕭白 : http://www.muian.com/muian09/muian09.htm
注）横尾忠則の「消された記憶」は蕭白の「群鮮図」、
「二河白道図」は蕭白の「雪山童子図」に触発されて描かれた作品という 横尾忠則現代美術館 http://www.ytmoca.jp/
