Picasso's Reception in Prewar Japan: Impressions of Picasso in his Changing Styles

Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) is one of the best known Western painters in Japan; however, how did Picasso's reception here come about? This article introduces the Picasso's reception up to 1930s not simply through the influence of styles and works of the specific period but through a consideration of focus that in a short time changed styles boldly. My aim is thus the highlight a side of Picasso's reception. Picasso and Cubism were introduced into Japan in the early 1910s, but confusion arose among painters and art critics as they accepted in twists and turns and with little distinction various Western art movements such as Futurism and Expressionism. Due to insufficient information they were also skeptical or dubious of Picasso's cubism-style. With the appearance of European masterworks during the 1920s, Picasso's early works of art and the latest works of the Classicist received greater attention, particularly his classical style. In the early 1930s, Cubusm becamed a dated style due to the spread of Surrealism and abstract painting, but Japanese painters became ever more conscious of Picasso's existence through his changing styles. Over some 30 years from 1900, the impression of Picasso completely changed and he became an inspiration of artist in Japan.While Cubism ended, Picasso's classical style was increasingly accepted by Japanese painters as Japanese artists established Picasso's classical style as one of the directions of the new reality.