Japan: Masterpieces from the Idemitsu collection

The art and culture of Japan are often regarded as mere extensions to those of the mainland, and China in particular.

Like so many generalisations this view embodies an element of truth, but that is all, for the art and culture of Japan are as unique as they are distinctive. It is undeniable that many of the sources to the cultural and artistic traditions of Japan lie in China and to a lesser extent in Korea, but the development of these traditions in the Japanese archipelago invariably followed a totally independent course – a course which reflects the unparalleled cultural traditions and attitudes of Japan.

In the modern technological world, in which Japan plays such a significant role, it is easy to overlook historical and cultural traditions which so often seem to be at variance with the contemporary and the commonplace.

Furthermore, with the great and enduring culture of China looming large over the whole of Asia, it is hard to recognise the independence of Japan’s cultural traditions within that aura. The very fact that this is the first major exhibition of Japanese art to be held in Australia is perhaps symptomatic of our ambivalent attitudes towards Japan and, even more, evidence of our lack of awareness of her cultural achievements.

This exhibition seeks no more an ambitious a role than to introduce those qualities reflecting the style, flavour and feeling of the arts of Japan.

The limited range of material, restricted to paintings, painted screens, calligraphies and ceramics, has been carefully selected to offer such introductory views rather than to attempt a more comprehensive and detailed survey.