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"Void and Excessive Concentration - Space in Taro Okamoto's Painitngs" Exhibition
Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kawasaki
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Artists
Taro Okamoto
"When we talk about space in art, it's either desperate emptiness and nothingness, or something completely dense and filled up, I believe." (Taro Okamoto "Kourin Theory" from "Japanese Tradition" published by Kobunsha 1956.)
Taro Okamoto left numerous written works on various ideas. However, besides "Antithesis Principle" in which he discussed composing a painting with contradicting elements, there are few writings regarding his own paintings and working process.
Among the limited resources available today, "Korin Theory" reveals the concepts behind Okamoto's paintings. In his early days, Okamoto was studying painting in Paris and saw "Kohakubaizubyobu," a painting by Korin Ogata, in a storefront window of a bookstore by chance. This encounter was the first time Okamoto was inspired by a piece of art by a Japanese artist. Until then, he had remained skeptical of the Japanese art scene, but what he saw in Korin's painting was a profound beauty achieved without any unnecessary elements.
In "Korin Theory," published after World War II, Okamoto analyzed Korin's works in depth. At the same time he expressed his own ideas on art. Okamoto wrote, "without air or water, this ultimate emptiness can create an extraordinary space with intensity... An airy space (in a painting) is only a cliche of sentimental expression."
There is surely no sense of airy atmosphere in Okamoto's work. He often composes his paintings with bustling parts, or vivid colors penetrating through the darkness. By paying attention to the spacial composition of his paintings, we can begin to solve their mystery.
[Image: "Rules of Forrest" (1950) Oil on canvas]
Taro Okamoto left numerous written works on various ideas. However, besides "Antithesis Principle" in which he discussed composing a painting with contradicting elements, there are few writings regarding his own paintings and working process.
Among the limited resources available today, "Korin Theory" reveals the concepts behind Okamoto's paintings. In his early days, Okamoto was studying painting in Paris and saw "Kohakubaizubyobu," a painting by Korin Ogata, in a storefront window of a bookstore by chance. This encounter was the first time Okamoto was inspired by a piece of art by a Japanese artist. Until then, he had remained skeptical of the Japanese art scene, but what he saw in Korin's painting was a profound beauty achieved without any unnecessary elements.
In "Korin Theory," published after World War II, Okamoto analyzed Korin's works in depth. At the same time he expressed his own ideas on art. Okamoto wrote, "without air or water, this ultimate emptiness can create an extraordinary space with intensity... An airy space (in a painting) is only a cliche of sentimental expression."
There is surely no sense of airy atmosphere in Okamoto's work. He often composes his paintings with bustling parts, or vivid colors penetrating through the darkness. By paying attention to the spacial composition of his paintings, we can begin to solve their mystery.
[Image: "Rules of Forrest" (1950) Oil on canvas]
Schedule | Sep 21 (Fri) 2007-Jan 14 (Mon) 2008 Opening Hours Information
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| Fee | Adults ¥500; University & High School Students, 65 years old and above ¥400; Junior High School Students and below Free | ||||||
| Venue | Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, Kawasaki http://www.taromuseum.jp/index_english.html  | ||||||
| Location | 7-1-5 Masukata, Tama-ku, Kawasaki-shi, Kanagawa 214-0032 | ||||||
| Access | 17 minute walk from the South exit of Mukogaoka-yuen Station on the Odakyu line; From the South exit of Mukogaoka-yuen Station, take the bus and get off at Ikuta Ryokuchi Iriguchi. The venue is 8 minute walk from there. | ||||||
| Phone | 044-900-9898 | ||||||
| Related images | Click on the image to enlarge it |
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