Kubota Beisen
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese artist and art instructor in the Meiji period
Meiji period
The , also known as the Meiji era, is a Japanese era which extended from September 1868 through July 1912. This period represents the first half of the Empire of Japan.- Meiji Restoration and the emperor :...

.

Although his style remained recognisably Japanese, his knowledge of Western principles and methods is also reflected in his work. Beisen trained under Suzuki Hyakunen (1825-1891). The way in which he integrated Western perspective and techniques in his work was a self-taught skill.

Career

Kubota was a teacher at the Kyoto Prefectural School of Painting, which was founded in 1878 by Kubota and others. Among his colleagues in establishing the school was the artist Kōno Bairei
Kōno Bairei
was a Japanese painter, book illustrator and art teacher. He was born and lived in Kyoto. He was a member of the Ukiyo-e school, and was a master of kacho-e painting in the Meiji period of Japan....

 (1844-95).
  • 1886: Kubota was ordered to decorate the ceiling and doors of one of the rooms in the Imperial palace, which was then newly constructed in Tokyo.
  • 1889: Kubota visited Paris, where he made a study of European masters.
  • 1890: Kubota began working for the Kokumin Shimbun, which was among the daily newspapers in Tokio.

  • 1893: Kubota was sent to the World's Columbian Exposition
    World's Columbian Exposition
    The World's Columbian Exposition was a World's Fair held in Chicago in 1893 to celebrate the 400th anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the New World in 1492. Chicago bested New York City; Washington, D.C.; and St...

     at Chicago by a newspaper, Kokumin Shimbun; and his drawings were published for its subscribers in Tokyo and elsewhere in Japan
  • 1897: A painting by Kubota was amongst the gifts from Japan which were presented to Queen Victoria
    Victoria of the United Kingdom
    Victoria was the monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death. From 1 May 1876, she used the additional title of Empress of India....

     on the occasion of her Diamond Jubilee.

War artist

As war artist for Kokumin Shimbun, he accompanied the Japanese army at the time of the war with China in 1894 through 1895. His vivid illustrations of battlefield scenes of the First Sino-Japanese War
First Sino-Japanese War
The First Sino-Japanese War was fought between Qing Dynasty China and Meiji Japan, primarily over control of Korea...

 were wildly distributed in the Japanese population.

When Kubota returned from the front, he was summoned to General Headquarters where he was ordered to create drawings in the presence of the Emperor.

Kubota's artwork was published in Nisshin Sentou Gahou (A Pictorial Record of the Sino-Japanese War). The eleven volumes were published at irregular intervals between October 1894 and June 1895. The volumes are a visual chronicle of the war, beginning with the outbreak of hostilities in the summer of 1894. Kubota created images of Japan's sea-victories. He also published a visual account of Japan's advance into Manchuria. The peace treaty signed between Japan and China was also illustrated as part of this series of drawings.

Selected works

Kubota's published work in Japanese is encompassed in 24 works in 25 publications in 53 library holdings. His one work in English was published in six editions and is found in 84 libraries worldwide.

Honors

  • Paris Exposition
    Exposition Universelle (1889)
    The Exposition Universelle of 1889 was a World's Fair held in Paris, France from 6 May to 31 October 1889.It was held during the year of the 100th anniversary of the storming of the Bastille, an event traditionally considered as the symbol for the beginning of the French Revolution...

    , Gold Medal, 1889.
  • Columbian Exposition, First Class Medal, 1893.

External links

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