Author: Gayane Simonyan
In the halls of the Gallery of Modern Arts in Palazzo Pitti, Florence, from May 20 to June 29, 2014, the Japanese artist Masaaki-Miyasako is showing his works to the public in the form of the exhibition Tourbillon, edited by Junji Ito.
The exhibition displays 30 works, mostly large or composite panels from the greatest museums in Japan and also from private collections and from the last production of the artist.
Born in Matsue, Shimane Prefecture in 1951, Masaaki Miyasako is now widely active as a painter and a professor at graduate school of Tokyo National University of Arts.
Junji Ito, art Critic and curator of the Masaaki-Miyasako International Exhibition, believes that the greatest meaning in planning this exhibition of the works of Masaaki-Miyasako, which has traveled to Budapest, Lisbon and now finally Florence, and introducing this artist to Europe, lies in transmitting major questions remaining for modern Japan in Europe- the springhead for raising such questions- through the work of Masaaki-Miyasako.
By this he means firstly that Masaaki-Miyasako’ s complex and diverse techniques are something that multilaterally spreads understanding of one-dimensional Japanese art that has been viewed only in terms of color and differences in perspective over since the Impressionist School; and secondly that Miyasako’ s scientific mind, which endeavors to structurally understand relationship between image representations and human emotions is evidence of the changes and innovations brought forward in Japanese art by the concept of art that has been imported from the west since the 19th century.
In other words the world of Miyasako’ s works is a place where currently existing values give innovation to two understandings of Japanese artwork in Japan and the West for the first time in over a century since the emergence of Japonism in the West.
Masaaki-Miyasako- an artist who is also a leader in the revival and innovation of traditions, and who is acknowledged by one and all as a worthy heir to the art of Japanese painting- now has an opportunity with this exhibition to introduce his works in Europe, where the cultural pinnacle of exchange between Japan and Europe has been realized and expanded through the aesthetic development of Japonism.
According to Junji Ito, this is not only something that will provide clear answers for the modern day realization of issues raised during the era spanning the late 19th and 20th centuries but also proof that Europeans’ recognition from an international perspective of the potential for Japanese art was in fact correct.
This exhibition is also meant to show that it is possible to arrive at Western art concepts from Japanese cultural methodology while at the same time providing dialectical evidence of this, and so Miyasako’ s world is referred to as “pure impressionism”.
In Masaaki-Miyasako’s words. in Japan, there exists an excellent culture of painting, sculpture and industrial arts that have been backed with traditional skills. Europe has been deeply impressed by aspects of Japanese culture including ukiyoe, manga and anime, yet other aspects of Japanese culture have not reached Europe at all.
A spiritual culture that reaches the heart has been represented by paintings using a classical technique of coloring from the reverse side, known as "urazaisiki," nihonga (Japanese-style painting), forming new space-time and universe elements while retaining traditional aspects, wrapping these around a spiral.
“I hope I can share the joy of this experience with the people of Italy,” said Miyasako.
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| "urazaisiki" technique |
This year he is scheduled to have 2 solo exhibitions in national museums in Europe: a challenge that started from Russia and Asian areas and is now developing throughout Europe.
Miyasako' work, internationally regarded as contemporary art, stately proceeds to global stage of contemporary art scene.
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