“Van Gogh's Japan and Gauguin's Tahiti reconsidered,” Ideal Places East and West, International Research Center for Japanese Studies, March 31,1997, pp.153-177. Van Gogh's Japan and Gauguin's Tahiti Tahiti reconsidered Shigemi Shigemi INAGA Mie U University niversity INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM NO.l0 International International Research Center for Japanese]apanese Studies Idealld e al Places in HistoryHisto η - East and West - 1995 : 153-178153 -178 “Van Gogh's Japan and Gauguin's Tahiti reconsidered,” Ideal Places East and West, International Research Center for Japanese Studies, March 31,1997, pp.153-177. Van Gogh's Japan and Gauguin's Tahiti Tahiti reconsidered Shigemi INAGA Mie University If If the mountain paradise represents one type of ideal place place,， the other can be categorized categorized as the island paradise. Both in the East and in the WestWest, ， it has been a common gardening practice to create an isle in the middle of a lake or a pond of a garden. garden. In JJapanese apanese the word island (“ (" shima") was literally a metonymical substitute for for the “"garden".garden". A small and isolated “"tops" tops" surrounded by water is a miniatur- miniatur­ ized ized version version,， or a regressive formform,， of the desire for marvelous possessions possessions,， to use Stephen Stephen Greenblatt's expression expression,， which prompted people to venture into the ocean in in search of hidden paradise. From the Greek Hesperides down to William Buttler Yeat's Yeat's Innisj Innisfree同e (or rather downdownto .to its parody as “"LakeLake Isles" in the “"Whispering Whispering Glades" Glades" by Evelyn Waugh in The Loved One [1948]),[1 948]) ， the imagery of islands is abun-abun­ dant dant in Western literature. As the the roccoco “"EmbarquementEmbarquement pour CythCythere"とre" by Wat-Wat­ teau teau or J .-J. Rousseau's solitary meditations at the Il Ilee St. Pierre Pierre,， or the tropical beauty beauty of Paul et Virginie (1 (1787) 787) depicted by Bernardin de de St.Pierre St.Pierre,， the island paradise paradise constitutes in itself a vast topic which defies any easy attempt at global overview!.overview1• With this huge background in mindmind,， 1I restrict my topic in this paper to the the case-study of Van Gogh's Japan and Paul Gauguin's Tahiti revisited. In the vi- vi­ sions sions of these two painters painters,， 1 I shall to try to analyse how the topography of utopia in the the Pacific Ocean overlaps the pathography of the European civilization at thefin the./in du siecle. siecle. 1 Van Gogh's Japan represents the utopia of an ideal community of artists maintained by their mutual emulation and brotherhood brotherhood,， free from any mischievous conspiracy. As he wrote to 豆Emilemile Bernard: “"Since Since long 1I have thought it touching that the Japanese Japanese artists used to exchange works among themselves very often. It certainly proves proves that they liked and upheld each other,other ， and that there reigned a certain har- har­ mony among them; and that they were really living in some sort of fraternal com-com­ munitymunity,， quite naturally naturally,， and not in intrigues"2. 153 153 INAGA Shigemi The supposed exchange of works which Van Gogh beleives JapaneseJ apanese artists practiced remains a mystery mystery among specialists. According to my personal hypothesis,hypothesis ， Van GoghOogh must have seen some example of surimono prints put together and bound as an album. album. One such album is kept intact today at the Cabinet Cabinet des estampes in the BibliothequeBiblioth とque nationale in Paris. Paris. This album,album ， composed in three volumes by a Kyoka satirical poet Nagashima Masahide in token of his his collaboration with other poets poets,， contains rare surimono print illustrations by such famous artists like like Santo KyodenKyoden,， HokusaiHokusai, ， Shunman,Shunman ， Kiyonaga and Utamaro. Van Gogh might have seen this while he was in Paris Paris,， because this album belonged to the former former collection of Theodore Duret [fiig.[且 ig. 1],1] ， who is supposed supposed to have had his collection deposited with the Brothers Brothers GoupilGoupil,， where Theo van Gogh was working Fig. 1. James McNeill Whistler Whistler,， Arrangement as as the director of their Montmartre branch3• One in in Flesh Colour and glimpse glimpse would have been enough for Van Gogh to be Black Black, ， Portrait 01of TheoTheo­・ convinced convinced of the practice of exchange by the dore Duret Duret,， 183-84,183-84 ， Oil onCon Canvas,組 V 民 193.4193 .4 x 90.8 Cffi， em, Japanese ， as many prints of different size from several Japanese, as many prints of different size from several New YYork, ork ， The Metro- Metro­ artists artists were assembled togather on the face of the politan Museum of Art. folder folder composed of 8 panels each [fig. 22,， 3]. Van Gogh expresses his desire to realize realize such an album: “"DesDes albums de six ou dix ou douze [dessins [des sins a la plume]plume],， comme les albums de dessins dessins originaux japonais./ J'ai J'ai grand envie de faire un tel tel pour GauguinGauguin,， et un pour Bernard"4 [fig. 4]. Inspired Inspired by this im- im­ agined agined habitual exchange of work between Japanese ar- ar­ tists tists,， Van Gogh fostered the Fig.2. Fig. 2. The surimono album composed by Nagashima idea idea of “"Gemeinschafts­Gemeinschafts- Masahide Masahide, ， ca. 1797-1812. Former collection ofTheoof Theo­・ dore dore Duret Duret,， donnated to the Biblioth Bibliothequeとque naionale in ideal" ideal" (to use N. Pevsner's ideal" (to use N. Pevsner's Paris in 1900. Tome 1. I. Paris Paris,， Biblioth Bibliotheque とque nationale nationale,， terminology)5 terminology)5,， and dreamed cote: Od.17 Od.171. 1. 154 154 Van Gogh's Japan and Gauguin's Tahiti reconsidered of realizing an artists' community at the Yellow House [Maison jaune] in Arles with with his collegues like 亘Emilemile Bernard and Paul Gauguin. The following phrase in his his letter to BernardBernard,， mentioned aboveabove,， must be understood at its face value: “"TheThe more we are like them in this respect respect,， (i. (i.e. e. in in “"livingliving in a sort of fraternal communi-communi­ ty ty,， quite naturally naturally,， and not in intrigue") intrigue"),， the the better it will be for US"6. This was a counterproposal counterproposal to Bernard's idea of establishing establishing a kind of “"freemason" freemason" (sic.) type type community of painters. “"TheThe more we discuss on the matter matter,， the worse the result result iS"7. is" 7 • Fig. Fig. 3. Katsushika HokusaiHokusai,， Surimono Surimono of calender depicting a 2 poster for a kabuki theater theater,， 19.6 19.6 x 13.7 cmcm,， the unique piece to be When Van Gogh was writing this letter letter,， knownknown,， found in the Duret album idealizing idealizing the J apanese artist as one who mentioned mentioned above above, ， Fig. 2). idealizing the Japanese artist as one who made drawings like a “"simple simple worker" ，, he was looking at the first issues of Le Japon αartistique,rtistique ， recently published by S. Bing: “J'"J'ai ai la reproduction (publication Bing) {~Un seul brin d'herbe} d'herbe ~ [fig. 5]. Quel exem-exem­ ple ple pIe de conscience! Tu le Ie verras un jour" (B. 18). The same anecdote is also reported to to TheoTheo,， where Vincent develops his philosophy a la fa japonjaponaise:αおe: 勺fht +tJitL骨組J.mvd ， ihmm川hωesmM 州時制矧山山li--J:ωe?bdrptm・明 司 va戸 sdM UH'H apuha1nwehE児 apf!1 t wto戸し曹・川は'割・記 add1.m.pnnn創 twEvvh mMmumuo?ud u m yωNh可はun "Ifa weLV study Japanese art,- '出we see a man who is undoubtedly wise,， heh -k 州卯・田叩由一 凶・ pb C324r申 引 珂 OF3FL n' cdunmg eu σoσb skm旬、mEhρLVρLWPTA-Q philosophic、戸し andUρiv intelligent' who spends his time doing what? In studying the distance 川 n k M te: ゆ 唄 N Y-A ・1sgBhtvthhtωe-modedfod betweenW the earth and the moon?・ No. In studying Bismarck's politics? No. He aMMmwf.merktgsajn studies a single blade of 間 もおい grass (un seul brin d'herbe).ヅ UEnw・凶 Mwmω匂 沼紅印duaeh But this blade of grass leads凶曹司叫 ・mK d 抑制η 凶 him to draw every plantMhteeo and 屯 肌悶 ewnpφt then every season,持出 the great ・問 Mdmm oa'hehー views of the countryside,， 巾 hm-mt沼 mm 1-0 ρLvqu+L' then animals,'53 then the nuL匂 ぺ川町h human figure. So he passes 白川 mw引'凶・ 旬 引 叩汀 Fig. Fig. 4. Vincent Van GoghGogh,， Album of drawings con- con­ his life, and life isme too short ceived ceived by Vincent Van Gogh. Sketch in letter 492,492 ， K o e mN AmAmsterdam,sterdam ， Rijksmuseum Vincent Van Gogh. to do以 the whole. Come now,， 155 155 INAGA Shigemi isn't isn't it almost a true religion which these sim- sim­ ple ple Japanese teach us us,， who live in nature '-as though they themselves were flowers? flowers?"8吋 [fig. 6]. 6]. Dr. Dr. Tsukasa Kodera and 1I have already already indicated the source of this passage 9 and demonstrated that it was a re-interpreta- re-interpreta­ tion tion of S. Bing's “"programme"programme" in the first issue issue of Le ~ψJaponon artisitque where Bing writes writes that according to aJ Japanese,apanese ，“ "therethere is is nothing in creation creation,， not even the smallest blade blade of grass grass,， which does not deserve a - place in the elevated conceptions of art" (“ ("ilil n'existe n'existe rien dans la creation creation, ， fut-ce ffit-ce un in- in­ fime fime brin d'herbe d 'herbe,， qui ne soit digne de Fig. Fig. 5. anonym. Sketch 0/ “un brin Fig.