Shinano in Spring 

Fujishima Takeji created this landscape of Shinano in Spring using pastels. Takeji’s blending of Japanese and Western styles reflects Japan's complex negotiation with modernity. The image is a window onto the Japanese landscape. The rolling hills and snow-capped mountains recall traditional landscape painting, a genre which often served to reinforce a sense of national identity. But Takeji complicates this tradition, using a Western medium to depict a supposedly Eastern scene. The cultural assimilation evident in Takeji's art can be viewed in the context of the Meiji Restoration, during which Japan rapidly industrialized and adopted Western customs. Looking closely at Takeji’s landscapes, scholars may use the archives of art schools and museums to understand the institutional forces that shaped modern art in Japan. By considering the social context in which art is made, we can see how Japanese artists contributed to global visual culture.