東京美術學校西畫科成立於1896年，至今仍收藏著歷代學生的畢業作品，其中指定項目為「自畫像」的製作。二戰之前，至東京美術學校西畫科留學的台灣第一代西畫家們，也在此留下台灣美術史上早期的一批自畫像作品。從十五世紀西歐始有自畫像以來，它便隨著時代扮演著不同的角色，從畫家之簽名、實驗，演變為具身份認同、心理分析等的可能性，近代更成為蘊含著作者自我探索過程的作品。但「自畫像」何以成為東京美術學校畢製的指定主題仍未有清楚記載，本文將以主導西畫科教程的黑田清輝（1866-1924）為線索，探討「自畫像」成為畢業作的意涵。並以二十世紀初至三○年代的東京美術畢業自畫像收藏為主，在可見的圖版中，探討自畫像在「明治後期（1898-1912）」、「大正時代（1912-1926）」、「昭和前期（1926-1936）」等三段時期的風格變化。台籍生的作品中以學院所教授的外光派風格為多數，對於日本畫壇積極引介的各現代流派並未主動攝取接受，其原因與台籍畫家的意識選擇與留日時機有關。而由個人畢生畫業，及日治時期台灣美術環境等複雜的景況，亦得以推論他們對西方前衛持保留態度，進而形塑各自風格的原因。 The department of Western painting in Tokyo Bijutsu Gakko was founded in 1896. It collects the graduate works of all the students since then, and one of the appointed subjects is self-portraiture. Before Second World War, the first generation of Taiwanese western painters who studied in Tokyo Bijutsu Gakko also donated their self-portraits to the school. These paintings are the early self-portraits in Taiwanese art history. European artists start to make self-portraits since fifteenth century, and the works play different roles through the course of time. They could be seen as the signature or the experiment of the artists, and they could be interpreted from the perspective of identity and psychoanalysis. Moreover, in the self-portraits, spectators could see the process which the artists investigate themselves. There is no clear record on why self-portraiture becomes the appointed subject of graduate work in Tokyo Bijutsu Gakko. This thesis would trace the question back to Kuroda Seiki (1866-1924), who directed the program in department of Western painting, and discuss the possible meanings of self-portrait as graduate work. The materials are from the collections of Tokyo Bijutsu Gakko in early twentieth century to nineteen-thirties. I would investigate the change of styles of self-portraits in late Meiji period (1898-1912), Taishō period (1912-1926), and early Shōwa period (1926-1936). Most of the works of Taiwanese students are influenced by Impressionism, which is taught in the academy. Even though Modernism has been introduced to Japan consistently, students from Taiwan didn’t absorb it in an active way. The cause of this phenomenon could link to the timing they went to Japan and their personal choices. Also, by studying the artists’ careers and the complex situation of Taiwanese art in Japanese colonial period, I would speculate on the reason why they have reservation about Western avant-garde, and therefore construct their own styles.
