​A GENERAL VIEW OF INDIAN ARTS

In the 1920’s, there were some people who were fascinated by Indian arts, including miniature painting and textiles in Japan. They formed the Society for Study of Indian Arts and issued some collected plate works of Indian arts ‘A GENERAL VIEW OF INDIAN ARTS’ from 1921 to 1927. Many of the collected works are plates by photograph but some reproductions by wood block print of Indian miniature painting and textiles and paintings of Nepal, Tibet and Thailand are also included. In the wood block prints of Indian miniature paintings, the detail, such as distinction of face and colour have not been expressed very well. However, sensitive lines and even particular exfoliation of the pigments in the painting have been expressed by trying to copy original one as thoroughly as possible by making full use of Japanese traditional technique of wood block print which came down since when ukiyo-e was produced. I was greatly impressed by that there were people from my country who were fascinated by the Indian miniature painting and textiles that is Indian arts in those days and the paintings and textiles were reproduced with wood block print by their ardency. It communicates itself to us beyond the times.