Japan at war under the sign of Greece – Conference postponed to December 14, 2023

Lecture at 18 p.m. by Mickael Lucken, Professor at INALCO.

Greco-Roman sculpture was introduced to Japan in the 1870s as a model. The majority of Japanese artists of the 20^e century were therefore formed on these classical bases. However, contrary to what has long been considered in the West, this learning was not passive. On the contrary, it was the occasion for an in-depth appropriation of the ancient heritage, following a process that culminated in the 1930s and 1940s. We will thus show in this lecture how ancient references were mobilized by Japanese art during the Second World War.