the Importance of Preserving the Art of urushi and makie
In the 23 years I have been living abroad, I have had the chance to see many private collections and urushi (Japanese lacquer) objects in museums all over Europe and the US. While more than 90% of these collections consist of makie (lacquerware sprinkled with gold and silver) works that have been exported from Japan since the 17th century, gold-inlaid lacquerware and mother-of-pearl objects are exceptionally rare. In Europe and the US, porcelain is called “China” and, by analogy, lacquerware is referred to as “Japan,” so lacquerware, especially makie, is strongly associated with Japanese art.
I first started preserving, repairing and restoring makie back in 1975 at the Museum of Applied Arts in Vienna. I have been doing this kind of work for more than 40 years, during which time about 4,500 artworks have passed through my hands. However, there are no schools where restoration techniques are taught, so during these 40 years I have relentlessly fine-tuned my technique, following the method of trial and error. The pieces of art I have worked on turned out to be extraordinary teachers – working on each one took a lot of time, but it taught me more than any book in the world could have done.
It’s undeniable that when it comes to technique, sense and artistry, contemporary Japanese makie artworks cannot keep up with artworks that were created in the Meiji and Taisho area or earlier. Unfortunately, this also applies to Living National Treasures, i.e. individuals certified as Preservers of Important Intangible Cultural Properties by the Japanese Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.
Giving young lacquer artists and students the opportunity to admire artworks created by outstanding artists of former times is a matter of great importance to me. It is also crucial from the perspective of preserving Japanese culture. This is why, for the last 40 years, I have been dedicating my life to restoring and creating urushi art and to passing on my knowledge to the next generations.
Creation of artworks
Over the last years, contemporary art has spread rapidly across the international art market. I am often asked why urushi artists don’t show their presence on this market.
Today‘s Japanese urushi market is too focused on Japan and on technique and it still has not managed to free itself from the impact of authoritarianism. I hope that future urushi artists will hone their artistic sense as much as mastery of the technique.
To strengthen the expressiveness of art, it is important to observe nature very closely, to admire ancient masterpieces and to gain knowledge about history.
I also recommend to master many different art forms like ink paintings, Japanese paintings, woodcraft, metalwork, ceramics or cloisonné.
Last but not least, the importance of language skills should not be underestimated when planning to target the international market.
Today‘s Japanese urushi market is too focused on Japan and on technique and it still has not managed to free itself from the impact of authoritarianism. I hope that future urushi artists will hone their artistic sense as much as mastery of the technique.
To strengthen the expressiveness of art, it is important to observe nature very closely, to admire ancient masterpieces and to gain knowledge about history.
I also recommend to master many different art forms like ink paintings, Japanese paintings, woodcraft, metalwork, ceramics or cloisonné.
Last but not least, the importance of language skills should not be underestimated when planning to target the international market.
