歌川国芳 21世紀の絵画力（府中市美術館） Utagawa Kuniyoshi, His pictorial eloquence in 21st century (Fuchu Art Museum)

江戸時代の絵画で定評のある、府中市美術館での国芳展。流石に、他の美術館の国芳展とは、一味違った内容だった。

また国芳か・・・とは思ったが、いざその作品を目の前にすると、思わずその絵の中に引き込まれてしまう。

やはり、この歌川国芳という絵師は、とんでもない絵師だと、改めて感じた。

国芳は、寛政9年（1798年）に生まれ、文久元年（1861年）に亡くなっている。65歳で亡くなった時は、明治維新まで、あとわずか6年だった。

国芳といえば、他の浮世絵の絵師達とは違い、ダイナミックな画風で知られるが、この展覧会によれば、絵のアイデアを、様々なものから得ていたという。

司馬江漢の西洋風の絵を、そっくりそのまま背景に使った絵もあるし、有名な相馬の古内裏の巨大な骸骨は、解体新書に書かれた骨格を参考にしたようだ。

国芳の描いた子犬の絵には、円山応挙や長沢芦雪の子犬の絵にそっくりなものもあり、こちらはいわゆる完コピだ。

その一方で、こちらも国芳の代名詞と言える猫については、これは国芳のオリジナルだろう。

国芳は多数の猫を飼っていたというが、絵に描かれている猫を見ると、その表情や仕草などは、日頃から猫を観察していないと、決して描けないだろう、と思われるものがあちこちに見て取れる。

国芳の絵には、当時の時代の雰囲気がよく表れている。山東京伝や滝沢馬琴の著作を題材にしたものも多いし、当時の世相や為政者達を風刺した作品もある。

国芳という絵師は、いざ筆を取り絵を描くとなれば、絵に関しては自らの創造も含めて、日本や海外の構図やアイデアも大胆に取り入れて、当時の世相を十分に取りいえれた絵を描いた。

自分の生きた時代の全てを描き切った絵師。と歌川国芳のことを呼んでも、それほど間違ってはいないのではないか。

Kuniyoshi exhibition at the Fuchu art museum which is well-established in the paintings of the Edo period. It was a bit different from the Kuniyoshi exhibition of other art museums in the stones.

I also thought of Kuniyoshi ... but when I put that piece in front of me, I was drawn into the picture.

After all, I felt it again that this Utagawa Kuniyoshi was an fantastic painter.

Kuniyoshi was born in Kansei ninth year (1798), and passed away in the first year of Bunkyu (1861). When died at the age of 65, it was only 6 years until the Meiji Restoration.

Speaking of Kuniyoshi, unlike other Ukiyo-e painters, he is known for his dynamic style, but according to this exhibition he seemed to get the idea of ​​painting from various things.

There are some paintings that used the Western-style painting of Shiba Kokan in their entirety as backgrounds, and the huge skeleton of the famous Soma horse seems to have referred to the skeleton written in the dismantled new book.

Some of the puppy painted by Kuniyoshi is similar to a picture of a puppy of Maruyama Okyo or Nagasawa Rosetsu, which is what is called a complete copy.

On the other hand, this is also Kuniyoshi's original for cats that can be said to be synonyms of Kuniyoshi.

Kuniyoshi said that he kept a large number of cats, but when looking at the cat drawn in the picture, its expression and gestures, etc, which seems to be never drawn unless he observes the cat from everyday can be seen here and there.

In the picture of Kuniyoshi, the atmosphere of the era of that time is appearing well. Many are subjects of Santo Kyoden and Takizawa Batako's work, and there are also work that satirized the society at the time and politicians.

As a painter named Kuniyoshi, if he draws a brush and draws a picture, as for painting, including his own creation, a bold incorporation of the composition and ideas of Japan and abroad, the picture which was able to fully understand the society at the time Drawn.

A painter who painted everything in his living era. Even if you call Utagawa Kuniyoshi, is not that wrong so much?

(Translated by Google Translate)