Every year, in late July after the end of the rainy season, the Kurashiki Community Center hosts the Ohara Magosaburo and Soichiro Memorial Lecture.
This year (2024), the speaker will be Mr. Miura Atsushi, the director of the Ohara Museum of Art.
The current special exhibition at the Ohara Museum of Art, titled Does Cross-Cultural Resonance Exist? Opening the Door to Modernity with the Ohara Collection, features somewhat niche and intellectually stimulating deep content.
I will report on the lecture, which lasted about an hour and a half.
About the "68th Ohara Magosaburo and Soichiro Memorial Lecture"
The "68th Ohara Magosaburo and Soichiro Memorial Lecture" was held on July 26, 2024, from 6:30 PM to 8:00 PM at the large hall of the Kurashiki Community Center.
The lecturer was Mr. Miura Atsushi, director of the Ohara Museum of Art, who spoke on the theme "Art History and Cross-Cultural Exchange - From 'Transitory Art' to the Ohara Special Exhibition."
The Thoughts of Ohara Magosaburo and Soichiro Live on in the Lecture
The roots of the "Ohara Magosaburo and Soichiro Memorial Lecture" trace back to Mr. Ohara Magosaburo, who invited leading figures from various fields to give lectures to the public under the name "Kurashiki Sunday Lectures" during the Meiji era.
Later, the lecture series was inherited by his eldest son, Mr. Ohara Soichiro, and has continued in a form similar to the present day.
The lineup of past lecturers has also been impressive; for example, last year (2023), Mr. Noyori Ryoji, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2001, was a speaker.
Despite being such a prestigious lecture series, it is surprising that reservations are not required and attendance is free, making it easy for anyone to participate. The start time of 6:30 PM is convenient for those finishing work or school, allowing a wide range of attendees of all ages and genders.
Additionally, Mr. Miura Atsushi, the lecturer, is an emeritus professor at the University of Tokyo, which drew comments from participating high school students like, "I can hear a lecture from a Tokyo University professor."
About Mr. Miura Atsushi, Director of the Ohara Museum of Art
Mr. Miura Atsushi, the lecturer this time, had been researching art history for many years at the University of Tokyo before joining the Ohara Museum of Art.
His specialties are Western Modern Art History and Japanese-French Art Exchange History, and he has conducted research on the following topics:
- The "Japonisme," where Western artists, including Van Gogh, eagerly incorporated Japanese aesthetics such as ukiyo-e.
- Research on modern Japanese painting from the French perspective (how Western painting techniques, such as Impressionism, were incorporated into modern Japanese painting).
Additionally, he has curated the current special exhibition at the Ohara Museum of Art, titled Does Cross-Cultural Resonance Exist? Opening the Door to Modernity with the Ohara Collection, which has been running since April 2024.
Research on the History of Japanese-French Art Exchange: Japan from the French Perspective
Have you heard the term Japonisme?
It refers to Western paintings influenced by Japanese culture, such as ukiyo-e.
Monet, famous for his Water Lilies, created a work influenced by ukiyo-e titled Water Lilies and the Japanese Bridge, which features a Japanese arched bridge.
During the lecture, he provided clear explanations with practical examples.
He also introduced episodes about Japanese painters (Yamamoto Yoshisui, Kuroda Seiki) who studied abroad in Japan and established modern Western-style painting in Japan while being influenced by French painting.
Ohara Special Exhibition: Does Cross-Cultural Resonance Exist?
In the latter half, he provided explanations about the current special exhibition at the Ohara Museum of Art, using artworks as examples.
Kojima Torajiro's Belgian Girl in Kimono is a well-known piece displayed at the entrance of the main building of the Ohara Museum of Art, but in the special exhibition, it is displayed in a way that allows for comparison with other works.
The work features a Belgian girl in a furisode (a type of kimono) alongside a Japanese doll in the background, truly a product of cross-cultural resonance.
The special exhibition will be held until September 23, 2024.
If you are interested, please visit the Ohara Museum of Art, which is different from usual.
Conclusion
I learned about the "Ohara Magosaburo and Soichiro Memorial Lecture" for the first time this time, and I was deeply impressed by the fact that in the regional city of Kurashiki, this lecture series has been continued for decades, widely open to the general public.
The organizing body, the Yurin Association, is said to be active in returning the legacy left by the Ohara family in Kurashiki to society, including the Ohara House Katalyzer.
In an era when terms like CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) and Mécénat (support for arts and culture by businesses) did not exist, the foresight of the Ohara family in returning the wealth gained from their business to society to promote bottom-up regional culture was unique for that time.
I even think that if the Ohara family had not existed, the current Kurashiki, including the Bikan Historical Area, would not have come to be.
Thank you very much for holding a lecture that stimulates intellectual curiosity.
Data on the 68th Ohara Magosaburo and Soichiro Memorial Lecture "Art History and Cross-Cultural Exchange - From 'Transitory Art' to the Ohara Special Exhibition"
| Name | 68th Ohara Magosaburo and Soichiro Memorial Lecture "Art History and Cross-Cultural Exchange - From 'Transitory Art' to the Ohara Special Exhibition" |
|---|---|
| Date | July 26, 2024 (Friday) 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM |
| Location | Kurashiki Community Center, Large Hall |
| Participation Fee (Tax Included) | Free |
| Website | Yurin Association |
