Ernest Fenollosa, Kakuzo Okakura and Japanese Art. A dialogue between East and West

Abstract

Ernest Fenollosa arrived in Japan in 1878 through Edward Morse to be a professor of Philosophy and Economic Policy at the Imperial University of Tôkyô. In Japan he carried out an immense work in pursuit of Japanese art revitalization that had great recognition, having been nominated as Imperial Commissioner of the Arts. During his return to the USA he was a curator of the prestigious Art Museum in Boston and contributed decisively to the dissemination of Japanese arts. He published various works, including his monumental Epochs of Chinese and Japanese Arts, which has provided the basis for a new understanding of the East. In this context, we must not forget its proximity to Hegel's logic and philosophy. This article aims to gain an awareness on Fenollosa's aesthetic ideas, traying to explain the rarity by virtue of which ancient Japanese art was salvaged by one man alone. In this respect, we believe that the   parallel that he proposed between East and West, greatly imbued by Okakura. has much to do with their success ,  as he justly advocated for a true universal civilization unlike the prevailing models of his time