Tokyo School of Arts and its effects on Western painting in Asia

Japanese art schools are one of most influential factors in development of Western painting in East Asia. For example, there were no professional Western art institutions in Korea, so most of Western style painting artists learned Western painting in Japan. Representative art schools in Japan were Tokyo School of Fine Arts, Kawabata School (1909-1945), Deikoku Art School (1929- ), Taiheiyo Art School (1890's- ), Bunka Academy (1921-1943), and Nihon Joshi Art School (1909- ). Tokyo School of Fine Arts (currently, Tokyo University of the Art) was not only the most prestigious school as a public school, but also the only modern art school that educated Western painting in East Asia in systematic manner. Therefore, many international students from China, Taiwan, and Korea chose Japan to study painting, because Japan was favorable both economically and geographically to Europe than other Asian countries.

                                                                               Tokyo School of Fine Arts

Tokyo School of Fine Arts was established in 1889 with efforts of Okakura Tenshin (岡倉天心 1862-1913) and Ernest Fenellosa (1853-1908) consisting of three departments: painting department (Japanese painting), sculpture department, and crafts department. By this time, more and more people were interested in Western painting. Okakura Tenshin, who was a principal of Tokyo School of Fine Arts, realized the necessity of establishment of Western painting department in Tokyo School of Fine Arts. As Okakura Tenshin was brainstorming the idea of Western painting department, Saionji Kinmochi (西園寺 公望, 1849-1940), a Minister of Education, recommended Kuroda as a professor for Western painting department of Tokyo School of Fine Arts. Kuroda Seiki had introduced new style of oil paintings which combined academic technique with impressionist's bright light and color in 1893. Hence, in 1896, seven years after Tokyo School of Fine Arts was established, Western painting department (yoga) was established. Kuroda Seiki was the head of Western painting department, and decided almost every single administrative task, from making curriculums to employing of professors.

                                                  Students drawing nude at Tokyo School of Fine Arts

Kuroda implanted art education and style that he learned in France. Kuroda had learned French academic education from Raphael Collins (1850-1916), which were drawing the plaster cast with charcoal first, drawing human body with color, studying theories like anatomy, and finally being able to paint freely. Above all things, Kuroda believed fundamental education is important for art. So he made a curriculum with classes of practicing plaster cast, researching nude, studying anatomy.[1]       

According to Kuroda Seiki, description of human body is the most important goal in painting, and emphasized the necessity of research on nude. Kuroda's belief reflected to Tokyo School of Fine Arts' curriculum, including anatomy and drawing nude models. Contrary to conservative culture at the time, Kuroda invited nude model to the class from the first day. Through this approach, Tokyo School of Fine Arts let students create self-portrait or nude painting. Creating many figure paintings were influenced by Western, where the beauty of human body is a criterion for aesthetics. This curriculum had continued after Kuroda retired, and it affected a large number of modern artists in Asia.