Fenollosa: the Far East and American Culture

Lawrence W Chisolm

• Publisher: Bonhopai Books
• Year: 2025
• eBook ISBN: 9781779790613
• Subtopic: European Art

Lawrence W. Chisolm's Fenollosa: The Far East and American Culture is a comprehensive biography of Ernest Fenollosa, the influential scholar, collector, and advocate of East Asian art whose work helped bridge the cultural gap between Japan and the West. A key figure in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Fenollosa played a crucial role in preserving and promoting traditional Japanese painting, calligraphy, and Buddhist art at a time when Japan was rapidly modernizing.

 

Chisolm traces Fenollosa's journey from his early life in America to his transformative years in Japan, where he immersed himself in the country's artistic and philosophical traditions. The book explores his impact on the Boston art scene, his role in shaping Western perceptions of Asian aesthetics, and his contributions to the revival of Japanese cultural heritage. It also examines his broader intellectual pursuits, including his interest in philosophy, poetry, and his collaborations with figures like Okakura Kakuz?.

 

 With meticulous research and engaging narrative, Fenollosa: The Far East and American Culture provides valuable insight into the cross-cultural exchanges that shaped modern art and intellectual history. A must-read for art historians, scholars of East-West relations, and anyone fascinated by the global influence of Asian aesthetics. 

Table of contents

• Title page
• TABLE OF CONTENTS
• DEDICATION
• PREFACE
• ILLUSTRATIONS
• PART 1 Possibilities
• PART 2 In Search of Cosmopolis
• PART 3 Apostle
• PART 4 Art and Individuality
• PART 5 Metamorphoses
• Illustrations
• APPENDIX Three Versions of Bunno’s “Song of the Bowmen of Shu”
• BIBLIOGRAPHY