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Lot 30 Nambata Tatsuoki started to paint in the late 1920s after meeting the older artist Takamura Kotaro (1883-1956), who became his master. Early in his career he was inspired by the art of ancient Greece and created paintings incorporating motifs from this place and period. However with World War II came great upheaval in Japan, however an end to war in 1945 brought peace and an artistic regeneration. Nambata was struck by the rapid post-war re-building of Tokyo stating:
"The inorganic beauty of iron beams and iron reinforcing rods sprouting to pierce the sky in the Tokyo of the postwar reconstruction period struck me as something very novel, and their straight lines moved me toward a new direction in my art."1
He went on to absorb some influences from Art Informel and abstract expressionism, creating his own unique style. Blue Landscape, 1971, and Contemplation Wood, presented here - are lyrical landscapes reminiscent of deep mountains in mist, and clearly demonstrate his approach to abstract painting. His method involved first drawing lines on canvas in charcoal, over which he applied and re-applied paint in multiple layers, sometimes working with the original lines and drawing them into the final layer, and sometimes not.
Nambata Tatsuoki's work has entered many significant museum collections, including The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo and The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto.
1. Nambata Tatsuoki-ten [Today's Artists: An Exhibition of Nambata Tatsuoki], exhibition catalogue, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, (Tokyo, 1987), p. 121
"The inorganic beauty of iron beams and iron reinforcing rods sprouting to pierce the sky in the Tokyo of the postwar reconstruction period struck me as something very novel, and their straight lines moved me toward a new direction in my art."1
He went on to absorb some influences from Art Informel and abstract expressionism, creating his own unique style. Blue Landscape, 1971, and Contemplation Wood, presented here - are lyrical landscapes reminiscent of deep mountains in mist, and clearly demonstrate his approach to abstract painting. His method involved first drawing lines on canvas in charcoal, over which he applied and re-applied paint in multiple layers, sometimes working with the original lines and drawing them into the final layer, and sometimes not.
Nambata Tatsuoki's work has entered many significant museum collections, including The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo and The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto.
1. Nambata Tatsuoki-ten [Today's Artists: An Exhibition of Nambata Tatsuoki], exhibition catalogue, The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, (Tokyo, 1987), p. 121
Nambata Tatsuoki (1905-1997)
Blue Landscape
Closed14 October 2015
Price Realised
GBP 6,875