Neo-Japonism in 1950s abstract painting
Conference of Michael Lucken, historian, professor at INALCO, member of the Institut universitaire de France.
Michael Lucken emphasizes the need to move beyond the overly broad term "Japanism" and re-periodize it. Regarding the period beginning after 1945, interest in Japan in the West was just as significant as it had been at the start of the 20th century.e century although it expresses itself through different references: the aesthetic is more stripped down, ink, black and white dominate, links with Buddhism are privileged.
The term "Neo-Japonisme" appeared in the 1960s, coined by art critic Pierre Restany. Jean Degottex, a major figure in French abstraction alongside painters such as Soulages and Hartung, was nonetheless the only artist during this period who regularly used Japanese titles for his canvases. Yet, the naming of works is a crucial element in abstract painting due to the explicit absence of a subject. Thus, Degottex's painting is not simply an influence of Japan but also an attempt to respond to the challenges posed by American abstract expressionism. Many of the artist's canvases are explicitly titled with Japanese names. Samurai (1956); takuan (1957) – named after a Japanese monk; Hagakure (named after a Japanese work on the aesthetics of bushido); Sho Do V ; Furyū, Aware II (state of sadness); Wabi I (wabi-sabi(patina of things); Haiga II (painting of scholars) Myo (mystery, strangeness) Hana (flower, with a poetic dimension), Japanese corner.
 Jean Degottex (1918-1988). Samurai. 1956. Oil on canvas. © Jean Degottex / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / ADAGP, Paris. |
 Jean Degottex (1918-1988). Void V. 1959. Oil on canvas. ©Mutualart. |
Restany evokes Neo-Japonism at a time when Degottex is working with Japanese titles drawn primarily from his reading. From the 1960s onward, his titles become more difficult to categorize due to the proliferation of exhibitions and catalogues in France. Michel Ragon noted in this regard in 1959 that "The current Japonisme movement within the School of Paris is too significant a trend for us not to discuss at length. [...] Everyone is more or less Zen in the Parisian and New York abstract art circles.".
But while among painters Degottex appears to be the one in whom the phenomenon is most explicit and most claimed, many other artists active on the Parisian scene claim it or are linked by critics to calligraphy, Zen, Buddhism and, in general, to Japan: Alechinsky, Braque, Dubuffet, Koenig, Hantaï, Hartung, Compard, Klein, Masson, Jenkins, Soulages, Léon Zack…
 Martin Barré (1924-1993). 63-O. 1963. Acrylic paint on canvas. ©Galerie Nathalie Obadia. |
 Franz Kline (1910-1962). Mahoning. 1956. Oil on paper.© Whitney Museum of American Art. |
 Pierre Tal-Coat (1905-1985). Precision-Punctuation. 1949. Oil on canvas. ©Webmuseo |
Mark Tobey's exhibition in Paris, following his stay in a Zen temple in Kyoto, has sparked reactions from many artists. Among them, André Masson points out that "If we European painters were few in number to turn the eye of our minds towards the oriental light on the northwest coast of the Pacific, more American painters recognized its potential for artistic enrichment."Michel Ragon also notes that the "taste for the sign" This is particularly evident in the works of Kandinsky, Klee, and Miró, and by going back to the sources of their inspiration, "Japan and China are still involved".
While it might be thought that Degottex was at that time realizing how American artists were creating a new space, akin to a Cubism loosened by calligraphy, an examination of his career and work shows that the beginnings of an interest in Oriental and Japanese forms emerged rather early in the late 1930s. Indeed, Wols already claimed to be a follower of Taoism, and Michaux displayed his taste for Asia in A Barbarian in Asia And, when it is not the painters themselves who claim Asia as their influence, it is the critics who do so: Malraux thus sees in the Hostage head Fautrier's "pathetic ideograms".
For Degottex, the discovery of Japan unfolded in several stages, entirely separate from the United States. The legacy of the Nabis provided an initial point of contact, followed by reading Claudel's collection of haiku and... Wash drawings in the Far East de Grauss, which André Breton showed him. Furthermore, the few exhibitions of Japanese calligraphy organized in Paris by the Allendy gallery and the Cernuschi museum also contributed to shaping his taste for Japan.
At the same time, the artist could not be indifferent to the fact that American painters had also looked to China and Japan, although this dual phenomenon operated in tension: the great American abstract painters drew inspiration from the Orient and Japan without ever fully embracing this connection. Bert Winther-Tamaki thus notes that "Artistic nationalism played a role in Klein's hesitation to explore the expressive potential of calligraphy." because the latter would have compromised "its effectiveness in representing American national identity".
Conversely, painters like Degottex openly acknowledge their connection to the Orient and even express gratitude for it: Léon Zack said "Quite Japanese"James Guitet states that “Zen is the state of bodhisattva, […] enlightenment.” corresponding to the moment when "The individual, with the help of their physical strength, manages to resolve all contradictions..."These are times of who knows the most, who is the most learned, and recognition then comes through the ability to grasp the depth of East Asian spirituality.
Michael Lucken's analysis thus reveals how two triangular dynamics clashed in the artistic geopolitics of the 1950s: the first centered on the United States, the second centered on France, which openly relied on Japan to resist American pressure. By demonstrating a more subtle, more spiritual, and more qualitative understanding of Asia, France sought to transcend the American approach, perceived as a superficial assimilation of distant forms.
 Wols (1913-1951). Untitled (Composition). 1944-1945. Ink and watercolor on paper. © Centre Pompidou / Dist. RMN-GP © Adagp, Paris 2020 |
 Jean Fautrier (1898-1964). Hostage's Head. 1944-45. Oil on mounted paper. © Centre Pompidou / Dist. RMN-GP © Adagp, Paris 2020 |
 Neo-Japanism – 1945-1975. Hermann Publishers. |
Sophie Basch and Michael Lucken have published a book on the subject with Hermann publishers.
https://www.editions-hermann.fr/livre/le-neo-japonisme-1945-1975-sophie-basch
Kaltoum LABIB
