Meiji Art Association - Meiji Bijutsukai

Japan's first Western-style art group, focusing on painting. It was formed in 1889 (Meiji 22) by Asai Chu, Kawamura Kiyoo, Goseda Yoshimatsu, Koyama Shotaro, Honda Kinkichirō, and others who had recently returned to Japan, along with Harada Naojirō, Matsuoka Hisashi, and Yamamoto Hosui, and held an exhibition in October of the same year. The purpose of the group's founding was to counter the fierce nationalist movement to reject Western-style art at the time and to promote the widespread development and spread of Western-style art. In addition to painting, sculptor Naganuma Moriyoshi and others also joined, and the group actively worked to train the next generation and hold lectures. The group's tendency was dominated by oil paintings characterized by dark brown, so-called resin tones, and so it was called the "Oil School." However, in the second half of the 1880s, the Hakuba-kai, led by Kuroda Seiki, who had left the association, rose rapidly to prominence and was known as the Murasaki-ha or New School. In contrast to this, the Hakuba-kai came to be known as the Old School and gradually lost its influence. In 1901 (Meiji 34), the association was dissolved, and young artists from the same school went on to form the Taiheiyo Art Association.

[Eriko Saeki]

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

絵画を中心とした日本初の洋風美術団体。1889年（明治22）浅井忠(ちゅう)、川村清雄(きよお)、五姓田義松(ごせだよしまつ)、小山(こやま)正太郎、本多錦吉郎(きんきちろう)らを中心に、新帰朝の原田直次郎、松岡寿(ひさし)、山本芳翠(ほうすい)らを加えて結成、同年10月展覧会を開催した。創立の目的は、当時熾烈(しれつ)化した国粋主義による洋風美術排撃運動に対抗し、広く洋風美術の発展普及を促そうとするもので、絵画のほかに彫刻の長沼守敬(もりよし)なども加わり、後進の育成や講演会活動にも積極的に取り組んだ。会の傾向は、暗褐色のいわゆる脂(やに)色調を特色とする油絵が主流であったため、「脂派(やには)」と呼称された。しかし、明治20年代後半になると、同会を脱退した黒田清輝(せいき)の率いる白馬(はくば)会が急速に台頭し、紫(むらさき)派・新派とよばれたのに対し、旧派とよばれるようになってしだいに主導力を失い、1901年（明治34）には解散、同系の若手作家は新たに太平洋画会を結成していった。

［佐伯英里子］

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