Monza presents Japan, land of geisha and samurai

At Villa Reale in Monza from January 30 to June 2, 2020, the exhibition Japan. Land of Geisha and Samurai.

Curated by Francesco Morena, the exhibition is proposed as an initiatory journey to Japan through the works of two major private collections: works dating between the 14th and 20th centuries from the collection of Valter Guarnieri, a collector from Treviso with a strong passion for the Orient, and some kimonos from the collection of Lydia Manavello, a collector also from Treviso who is an expert in Asian textiles.

The exhibition is divided by theme, and the central part was devoted to geisha and samurai. The geisha with oval face sprinkled with white powder, very elegant clothes and cadenced manners represented an ingrained cultural topos for Japan.

Paintings in the vertical scroll format also depict Daruma, mythical founder of Zen, while others investigate the relationship between Japan and nature, which in Shintoism is an expression of divinity. The relationship between Japanese culture and art is presented through entertainment activities such as Kabuki theater, the use of the kimono, and the micro-sculpture favored by Japanese artists: micro-sculptures related to tobacco consumption are on display.

From the mid-nineteenth century, Japan turned toward modernity, and among the art forms unheard of in Japan was art photography: foreigners from Europe and the United States visited the archipelago and very often purchased photographs to possess a memento of that country. Displayed in the exhibition is the core of the unknown person who jotted down in Spanish, in the margins of the photographs, descriptions of the places and activities depicted in the shots.

The last room is dedicated to writing with large screens adorned with powerful calligraphy.

The exhibition is produced by ARTIKA, under the Patronage of the City of Monza.

Image: Yoshu Chinkanobu, Pastimes of Female Beauty on a Snowy Day (triptych of polychrome woodcuts in oban format, 35.5x 70.5 cm)

Monza presents Japan, land of geisha and samurai

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