Six Themes About Music (biwa) 

Fujishima Takeji created Six Themes About Music, using traditional materials and processes. Here, we see a woman holding a biwa, or Japanese lute. The piece’s flat composition and bold outlines are indebted to Japanese woodblock prints, while the palette and subject matter are inspired by Western art movements like Art Nouveau. Takeji has used mineral pigments, applied in thin layers to create a textured, aged surface, allowing the gesso beneath to peek through. Look closely at the woman’s kimono: the patterns, too, are rendered with visible brushstrokes, revealing the artist’s hand and the time-intensive nature of the work. Such paintings required not only artistic skill, but also a deep understanding of material properties. By emphasizing these qualities, Takeji elevated the status of craft traditions, challenging the hierarchy between “high art” and applied arts.