: Distinguished by their striking white makeup, elaborate
hairstyles and exquisite examples of traditional kimono, geisha
have been a powerfully evocative icon of Japan and a source of
fascination for people around the world since the late Nineteenth
Century. Yet their role as entertainers and artists has been
largely mis-perceived through the lens of western culture.
The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM) will offer an intimate look at the
exclusive world of geisha culture while addressing cultural
perceptions of this uniquely Japanese tradition in "Geisha:
Beyond the Painted Smile," February 14-May 9, 2004.
Featuring some 150 breathtaking works - including paintings,
hanging scrolls, woodblock prints, garments, musical instruments,
ceramics, contemporary photographs and video installations - the
exhibition takes us on a journey from the early roots of geisha
culture to the present-day teahouses where geisha perform.
Many of the works on view are part of PEM's outstanding Japanese
collection, which is one of the world's largest collections of
Japanese art and cultural objects outside of Japan. Organized by
Andrew Maske, PEM curator of Japanese art, "Geisha: Beyond the
Painted Smile" is accompanied by a major publication. Related
public programs, including a panel discussion, lectures, gallery
talks, films and a music performance, will be held in conjunction
with the exhibition from February through May.
"Geisha: Beyond the Painted Smile" will travel to the Asian Art
Museum in San Francisco from June 25 through September 26, 2004.
"Geisha: Beyond the Painted Smile" commences with imagery of the
"exotic geisha" - works that convey the various perceptions of
geisha as seen through the eyes of both westerners and Japanese
people. In the Nineteenth Century, images of geisha were
presented by European, American and Japanese artists in fine art
through new media, including woodblock prints, decorated
porcelains and hand tinted photographs. In reality, not all of
these works depict geisha authentically, yet for those who only
knew Japan through travelogs and art, they sparked the
imagination as to what geisha entertainment was.
Unfamiliarity with Japan's customs and traditions invariably led
to confusion about the geisha profession, and many conflated all
Japanese women to be geisha, or more pointedly, confused geisha
with prostitutes or courtesans. While some westerners may have
understood geisha's role as an entertainer, they were more
specifically thought of as entertainers of men, and therefore
deemed wanton and risqué.
In the first section, the exhibition features depictions of
"exotically" dressed and coiffed Japanese women in photographs,
ceramics, paintings and even movie ephemera from the 1960s -
works that connote perceptions of geisha. "Maiko," 1893, for
example, is an oil painting by Kuroda Seiki, who is largely
considered one of the most important western-style Japanese
painters of the late Nineteenth Century. The work, created after
a sojourn in France, provides a new perspective on the
traditional culture of the artist's homeland, and is one of only
three oil paintings designated as an Important Cultural Property
by Japan's government.
Other works include ceramics with images of geisha created in
Japan in the 1950s for the European and American markets, and
photographs of courtesans that have been confused for geisha.
Dated notions of Japanese culture from as late as the 1960s are
also on display, including authentic lobby cards for The
Barbarian and The Geisha, a film about an American diplomat
in Japan (played by John Wayne) and a geisha who becomes his love
interest; and a poster for My Geisha, which casts Shirley
MacLaine as an actress who masquerades as a geisha to land a part
in a film.
"Women of Kyoto" by Mihata Joryu (circa 1830-1850), a pair of
screens that provides a turning point for this season, shows a
variety of Kyoto women, among them geisha and maiko (apprentice
geisha). The work points out the difference between geisha and
other women, and paves the way for an exploration of the
realities of the geisha profession.
The second section of the exhibition offers an up-close look at
the gei or artistic accom-plishments of geisha since the
Eighteenth Century through objects, prints, paintings,
photographs and video. Geisha are artists who dedicate
them-selves to the highest standards of performance in
traditional singing, dancing and instrumental music, and undergo
years of rigorous formal training before making their debuts.
They typically perform in small, intimate settings, providing
entertainment that goes beyond the mere stage show to encompass
exquisite performance, masterful conversation and game playing.
Geisha emerged as artists and entertainers during Japans Edo
period (1603-1868), which saw the development of cities and the
rise of a wealthy merchant class that channeled its wealth into
luxuries of city life that included theater, restaurants,
clothing and the "pleasure quarters." These quarters offered
freedoms not found in the outside world - romance, elegance and
spontaneity, and a place where money, charm and wit prevailed.
This retreat into fantasy offered access to brothels, but men
also went there to eat, drink, listen to music, write poetry,
enjoy entertainment and socialize. Here, geisha worked alongside
prostitutes and courtesans - all legal forms of entertainment
that were subject to regulation by the government.
In the 1600s, the first geisha were men who provided music, comic
relief and all-around good company at parties. Women entered the
arena in the mid-1700s, and by 1780, female geisha outnumbered
males in this profession.
Today geisha are women who through their lives continue to
advance their artistic proficiency. After making their debuts,
geisha continue to spend many of their daytime hours practicing
musical instruments, dancing or singing. Appearances in annual or
semi-annual stage shows and other events required still further
rehearsal. Numerous prints and paintings in the exhibition show
geisha performing in teahouses and onstage for larger audiences
by invitation. In addition, the exhibition features musical
instruments used by geisha, including drums, flutes and
especially the three-stringed shamisen.
The venues in which geisha typically perform - teahouses
(o-chaya) or the traditional restaurant (ryotei) - have changed
little over the past 100 years. Such locales follow a rule of "no
first-time customers" that, combined with the high cost of geisha
entertainment, make the world of geisha inaccessible and
prohibitive. At the small gatherings held at these venues, geisha
provide their clients with an atmospheric evening of banter and
fun, pairing their talents in traditional dance and music with
conversation, flirtation and drinking games. The exhibition
offers a contemporary glimpse at what an entertainment entails
with a video, commissioned by PEM, that follows a man as he takes
his friend for an evening of geisha entertainment in the Gion
district of Kyoto.
The alluring aesthetic sense of iki - akin to the French world
chic - is maintained through a geisha's dress and manners, in
addition to her artistic pursuits. Small hand gestures in dance
or the elegant manner of pouring sake are as important to a
geisha as the selection of a kimono to suit the occasion.
Geisha and maiko wear traditional silk kimono, geta (high wooden
clogs), and white tabi (socks), and adorn their sculpted wigs
with stunning accessories. They wear only the highest quality
kimonos, play the finest musical instruments, and travel first
class wherever they go - a matter of professional status rather
than personal luxury. On view in the exhibition are exquisite
garments worn by geisha, including splendid silk kimonos, obi
sashes, hair adornments, as well as woodblock prints, photographs
and a video that shows the intricate process of makeup
application, hair preparation and dressing.
The last section of the exhibition takes a behind the scenes look
at geisha in the contemporary setting. A poetic series of
photographs by Yoko Yamamoto, an artist who spent nearly 20 years
photographing in the main geisha districts of Tokyo, captures
seldom seen aspects of the culture, while a video installation
features a contemporary geisha talking about her life. This
section aims to leave a lasting impression of new iconic imagery
of the contemporary geisha.
The Peabody Essex Museum (PEM), houses renowned collections of
art from China, Japan, Korea, Africa, Oceania and India, as well
as American decorative art, Native American art, maritime art and
photography. These exceptional collections are set amidst one of
the nation's premier ensembles of early American architecture,
including 25 historic properties.
The museum, located at East India Square, is open daily, 10 am
to 5 pm; Thursdays until 9 pm. For information, 866-745-1876, or
www.pem.org.
