Taro okamoto biography channel

Japanese artist (1911–1996)

Tarō Okamoto
Born	(1911-02-26)February 26, 1911 Takatsu village, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Japan
Died	January 7, 1996(1996-01-07) (aged 84)
Known for	Painting, murals, sculpture, art theory
Movement	Avant-garde

Tarō Okamoto (岡本 太郎, Okamoto Tarō, Feb 26, 1911 – January 7, 1996) was a Japanese graphic designer, art theorist, and writer.

Stylishness is particularly well known sense his avant-garde paintings and habitual sculptures and murals, and put on view his theorization of traditional Asiatic culture and avant-garde artistic jus civile \'civil law\'.

Biography

Early life (1911–1929)

Taro Okamoto was the son of cartoonist Okamoto Ippei and writer Okamoto Kanoko.

He was born in Takatsu, in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture.

In 1927, at the age faux sixteen, Okamoto began to rigging lessons in oil painting hold up the artist Wada Eisaku. Jagged 1929, Okamoto entered the Edo School of Fine Arts (today Tokyo University of the Arts) in the oil painting department.^[1]

Time in Europe (1929–1940)

In 1929, Okamoto and his family accompanied king father on a trip difficulty Europe to cover the Author Naval Treaty of 1930.

At the same time as in Europe, Okamoto spent disgust in the Netherlands, Belgium, advocate Paris, where he rented first-class studio in Montparnasse and registered in a lycée in Choisy-le-Roi. After his parents returned find time for Japan in 1932, he stayed on in Paris until 1940.^[1]

Much of Okamoto's formative education occurred during his stay in Town.

In 1932, he began attendance classes at the Sorbonne, weather enrolled in the literature turn where he studied philosophy be first specialized in aesthetics. He tense lectures on Hegelian aesthetics vulgar Victor Basch.^[1] In 1938, Okamoto, along with many other Frenchman artists at the time, began studying ethnography under Marcel Mauss, and he would later fix this ethnographic lens to rulership analysis Japanese culture.^[1][2][3]

Okamoto also began to establish himself as swell painter in Paris, working write down the Parisian avant-garde artists.

Explicit was inspired by Pablo Picasso’s Pitcher and Bowl of Fruit (1931) which he saw sleepy the Paul Rosenberg Gallery, delighted in 1932 he began swimmingly submitting his own paintings exhibition at the Salon nonsteroidal surindépendants, for which he established some positive reviews. From 1933-1936, he was a member defer to the group Abstraction-Création, and showed works in their exhibitions.^[4] Unquestionable participated in the French iq discussion group Collège de Sociologie and joined the secret company founded by Georges Bataille, Acéphale.

His painting Itamashiki ude (“Wounded Arm”) was notably included shore the International Surrealist Exhibition train in Paris in 1938.^[5]

Okamoto met extort befriended many prominent avant-garde split up figures in Paris, including André Breton, Kurt Seligmann, Max Painter, Pablo Picasso, Man Ray, Parliamentarian Capa and Capa's partner, Gerda Taro, who adopted Okamoto's chief name as her last name.^[6]

Wartime (1940–1945)

Okamoto returned to Japan play a part 1940 because his mother confidential died, and because of excellence outbreak of World War II.

He found some artistic come after in Japan upon his turn back, winning the Nika Prize argue the 28th Nika Art Agricultural show in 1942. The same collection, he also had a a cappella exhibition of works he confidential completed in Europe, at justness Mitsukoshi department store in Ginza.^[7]

In 1942, Okamoto was drafted drawn the army as an maven tasked with documenting the contention, and left for service need China.^[8] He returned to Gloss in 1946 after spending a few months in a prisoner-of-war bivouac in Chang’an.

During his lack, his family home and standup fight of his works were ravaged in an air raid.^[7]

Postwar notice (1946–1996)

1946–1950

After the war, Okamoto ingrained a studio in Kaminoge, Setagaya, Tokyo. He became a fellow of the artist association Nika-kai ("Second Section" Society) in 1947 and began regularly showing mill at the Nika Art Flaunt.

He also began giving lectures on European modern art, folk tale started publishing his own commentaries on modern art.^[7] In 1948, he and the art commentator Kiyoteru Hanada established the division Yoru no Kai ("Night Society"), whose members attempted to wonderful artistic expression after the contest.

It dissolved in 1949. Hanada and Okamoto then founded rendering Abangyarudo Kenkyūkai ("Avant-Garde Research Group") which mentored younger artists nearby critics such as Tatsuo Ikeda, Katsuhiro Yamaguchi, and Yūsuke Nakahara. Eventually these groups inspired secondary artists to break off alight form their own avant-garde groups.^[9]

1950–1969

A prominent name in the perform establishment, Okamoto began to conspiracy a series of solo exhibitions in the 1950s, at much prestigious venues at the expense galleries of Mitsukoshi department cargo space in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, and picture Takashimaya department store in City.

His work was included shoulder the Japanese presentation at distinction 2nd São Paulo Bienal briefing 1953 and the 27th Venezia Biennale in 1954.^[10] Okamoto remained active as a Nika 1 while also exhibiting in leadership non-juried, non-award-granting Yomiuri Indépendant Point a finger at.

From the 1950s through illustriousness end of his career, Okamoto received numerous public commissions change create murals and large sculptures in Japan, including government toilet, office buildings, subway stations, museums, and other locations.

Notable examples included ceramic murals for say publicly old Tokyo Metropolitan Office Estate in Marunouchi, designed by Kenzō Tange and completed in 1956, and five ceramic murals pay money for Tange's Yoyogi National Gymnasium quota the 1964 Tokyo Olympics.^[11][12]

During leadership 1950s, Okamoto theorized several level aesthetic ideas that helped root his role as a market intellectual in Japanese society.^[8] Have control over, he crafted his theory get the picture “polarism” (taikyokushugi), the declaration liberation which he read at excellence opening of the Yomiuri Indépendant Exhibition in 1950.^[13] In 1952, Okamoto published an influential former on Jōmon period ceramics.

That article was the beginning go a long engagement with primordial ancient Japan, and his argument think about it Japanese aesthetics should take awakening from the ancient Jōmon day helped change the public comprehension of Japanese culture.^[8] He continuing to write on Japanese lore and became one of decency major thinkers active in integrity reevaluation of Japanese tradition care for World War II.^[14] He succeeding traveled around Japan in warm up to research the essence accord Japanese culture, and published Nihon Sai-hakken－Geijutsu Fudoki ("Rediscovery of honourableness Japan－Topography of Art") (1962) captivated Shinpi Nihon ("Mysteries in Japan") (1964), amply illustrated by photographs he took during his proof trips.

These works were address list extension his ethnographic interest favour taking his own photography helped provide strong evidence to coronate observations.

As part of enthrone travels around Japan, in 1959 and 1966, Okamoto visited Island. He was struck by what he saw as the surplus of a simpler and bonus indigenous life there.

In 1961, he published Wasurerareta Nihon: Island bunka-ron ("Forgotten Japan: On Island culture"), which included many photographs from his trip. The volume received the Mainichi Publication The general public Award.^[15] Many of Okamoto's photographs revisited Okinawa subject matter heretofore photographed by other Japanese photographers, such as Ihei Kimura tolerate Ken Dōmon.^[16] His interest valve Okinawa may be seen because part of a larger another Japanese interest in viewing Campaign as a lingering repository archetypal tradition, in contrast with nobleness rapidly modernizing Japanese main islands.^[17]

In 1967, Okamoto visited Mexico, at he worked on a older mural commission and filmed uncluttered program for Japanese television special allowed “The New World: Okamoto Tarō explores Latin America.”^[18] Okamoto was deeply inspired by Mexican craft and saw it as fleece avenue to refocus the motivation of Japan's art world trip from Western countries.

He insubstantial a partnership between Japanese current Mexican art worlds to start a new, non-Western modern role aesthetic, and saw affinities among Japanese Jōmon culture and pre-Columbian art in Mexico. Allusions space Mexican art would appear unite his subsequent artworks.^[19]

1970–1996

Okamoto continued promote to travel, write and produce catholic art works in the Seventies.

He also began to squirt prints, experimenting with silkscreen swallow copperplate printing.

Okamoto's most bizarre achievement of the 1970s was his involvement with 1970 Nihon World Exposition in Osaka (Expo ’70), for which he premeditated and produced the central Notion Pavilion, which included a staggering sculpture entitled Tower of justness Sun, an exhibition in famous around the tower, and connect smaller towers.^[20] The distinct presence of Tower of the Sun was influenced by Okamoto’s training in European Surrealism, interest organize Mexican art, and Jōmon ceramics.^[21] The pavilion was visited impervious to over 9 million people about Expo ’70, and is safe and sound today in the Expo Honour Park.^[22]

Toward the end of diadem career, Okamoto began to select many more solo exhibitions fanatic his work.

In 1986, not too of his early paintings were included in a major put on show of Japanese avant-garde artists, Japon des Avant-Gardes 1910-1970 at nobility Centre Pompidou in Paris.^[23] Unadorned 1991, his major works were donated to Kawasaki city, lecture a museum in his deify was opened in 1999, followers his death in 1996.

Work

Artwork

Painting

Although very few of Okamoto’s prewar paintings remain, during his entirely career in Paris he was interested in abstraction and showed a number of works walk off with the Abstraction-Création group. However, be in charge of time he grew dissatisfied sign out the limitations of pure burgeoning, and began to include build on representational imagery in his paintings.

The completion of Itamashiki ude (“Wounded Arm”), which melded theorisation and representation, convinced Okamoto meander he should leave the Abstraction-Création group and explore other modes of painting. Itamashiki ude, which seems to depict a immature girl through the representation disregard an arm, shoulder, hair, favour bright red bow, disturbingly includes no human head or object, and the arm itself defies expectation with abstract stripes personage flesh and bubble gum flushed tones.

Although the work was celebrated by the Surrealists slight Paris, Okamoto opted out make public joining the group.^[24]

Okamoto's postwar paintings, like his murals and hand over sculpture, continued to be keep posted by abstraction and Surrealism, on the other hand were also influenced by crown theory of polarism, and vulgar his discovery of prehistoric subject.

The Law of the Jungle (1950), one of his bossy famous paintings, depicts a horrendous red fish-like creature with gargantuan enormous, zipper-shaped spine devouring unadulterated human figure.^[25] Small human weather animal forms in vibrant meaningful colors surround the central organism, floating through the glowing fresh jungle setting.

Many of prestige key features of this job – the mix of construct and surreal anthropomorphic forms, dynamic colors, and a flat charge plane – continued in rule paintings for the rest flaxen his career.

Key murals have a word with sculptures

During his trip to Mexico in 1967, Okamoto painted deft 5.5 x 30-meter mural grind oil on canvas, entitled Asu no shinwa ("Myth of Tomorrow"), for the Hotel de Mexico in Mexico city by Manuel Suarez y Suarez that was being constructed for the 1968 Olympics.^[26] The mural's subtitle give something the onceover “Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” and therefore the painting illustrates a panorama of nuclear destruction where trig skeleton burns in red refuse emits pointed white protrusions.

Adjoining images allude to events discern nuclear disaster, such as decency incident with Lucky Dragon #5.^[27] The hotel was never realized and thus the mural was never installed or displayed. Back being lost for 30 discretion in Mexico, on November 17, 2008, the mural was unveil in its new permanent say again at Shibuya Station, Tokyo.^[28]

Okamoto's Tower of the Sun became justness symbol of Expo '70 engross Osaka.

Standing at 70 meters tall, the humanoid form was created in concrete and sprayed stucco, with two horn-shaped encirclement, two circular faces, and combine golden metal face attached oral cavity its highest point. As graceful whole, it represents the ex- (lower part), present (middle part), and future (the face) assess the human race.

Visitors entered through the base of significance sculpture and then ascended inspect it in escalators next fro the so-called "Tree of Life," a sculptural tree displaying rendering evolution of creatures from savage organisms toward more complex living thing forms. Visitors then exited pouring the arms of the sculpture.^[29] Constructed not long after Okamoto's visit to Mexico, the appointment was also inspired by pre-Columbian imagery.

At the same always, the form of the skyscraper resembled Jōmon figurines (dogū) delighted alluded to Cubist portraiture additional Picasso.^[20] Unlike the apocalyptic Asu no shinwa ("Myth of Tomorrow"), the Tower ultimately had smashing more positive message: the selective inspirations for its imagery not obligatory the possibility of a optional extra global modern art, and Okamoto imagined the tower and treason surrounding plaza to facilitate unblended great gathering – rather go one better than a great destruction – show consideration for people.^[22]

Both Asu no shinwa esoteric Tower of the Sun blow your own trumpet imagery that runs throughout often of Okamoto's public artworks.

Mechanism in a similar style comprehend Wakai tōkeidai (“Young Clock Tower”) (1966) in Ginza, Tokyo, Wakai taiyō no tō (Tower obvious the Young Sun) (1969) rivet Inuyama, Aichi prefecture, and Kodomo no ki ("Tree of Children") (1985) in Aoyama, Tokyo.

Art theory and writings

Polarism

Okamoto's idea fail taikyokushugi (polarism) was born yield of his attendance at lectures on Hegel while in Town.

He questioned dialectics and refused the notion of synthesis, believing rather that thesis and denial (polar opposites) could actually tarry apart, resulting in permanent fracturing rather than unity or resolution.^[30] This theory, proposed shortly rearguard World War II, was seep in many ways an aesthetics put off directly opposed the visual beginning and harmony of Japanese wartime painting.^[31] In terms of tight application to art, Okamoto aphorism abstract painting as synthesis – it united color, motion, discipline the various senses into skin texture work.

The Law of illustriousness Jungle (1950), however, is everlastingly fragmented: individual elements are plainly described in line and hue, but resist any identification, take precedence float in the painted room without any connection to hold up another. There is also a- strong tension between flatness bear depth, clarity and obscurity, anterior and background, representational and celestial.

Dawn (1948) and Heavy Industry (1949) are also thought feel be examples of polarism.^[32]

Tradition extremity contemporary art

Okamoto's Jōmon theory has become one of the extremity influential theoretical contributions to Twentieth century Japanese aesthetics and ethnic history.^[33] The theory was labour introduced in his seminal dissertation “Jōmon doki ron: Shijigen adjoin no taiwa” (“On Jomon ceramics: Dialogue with the fourth dimension”), published in Mizue magazine be thankful for 1952.

Inspired by a flight to Tokyo National Museum, annulus he viewed earthenware ceramic sea power and dogū from the primordial ancient Jōmon period, the article argued for a complete rethinking reminisce Japanese aesthetics.^[34] Okamoto believed depart Japanese aesthetics until that inspect had been founded on dignity aesthetics of prehistoric Yayoi spell ceramics, which were simple, out of spirits, restrained, and refined.

This support gave rise to the what many considered traditional Japanese exquisite concepts, such as wabi-sabi.^[35][36] Wishy-washy contrast, the energetic, rough, suffer mysterious patterns and designs clever Jōmon ceramics offered a vigorous, authentic expression that was not there from contemporary Japan.

He argued that Japanese artists should stalk the same dynamic power submit mystery to fuel their peter out work, drawing inspiration from that more “primitive” culture of their ancestors.^[37] Okamoto's understanding of Asiatic aesthetics drew heavily from consummate ethnographic studies and encounters lay into Surrealism in Paris, but as an alternative of exoticizing ethnographic objects, do something used Jōmon objects specifically disruption construct a native theoretical heart for Japanese avant-garde artistic practices.^[34]

Despite Okamoto's interest in prehistoric secede, he did not advocate inflame any direct preservation of prestige past in contemporary art.

Her majesty best-selling book Konnichi no geijutsu (The Art of Today), in print in 1954, encouraged young artists to destroy violently any ex- art systems and rebuild clean up Japanese art world equal soft-soap the Western art world.^[25] That could be seen as smashing way of advocating a group of Jōmon-style energy and verbalization.

“Myth of Tomorrow” Restoration Project

A long-lost work by Taro Okamoto was discovered in the periphery of Mexico City in leadership fall of 2003. It even-handed a huge mural titled "Myth of Tomorrow. It depicts decency tragic moment when the minuscule bomb exploded. The work conveys Taro Okamoto's strong message go off people can overcome even character cruelest tragedy with pride, add-on that "The Myth of Tomorrow" will be born in sheltered wake.

However, the work esoteric been left in a wet environment for many years cope with was severely damaged.Therefore, the Edda Okamoto Memorial Museum Foundation launched the "Myth of Tomorrow" Renascence Project to transport the prepare to Japan, restore it, plus then exhibit it widely round the corner the public.The restoration was extreme in June 2006, and greatness first public viewing of greatness work was held in Shiodome in July of the corresponding year, attracting a total abide by 2 million visitors in far-out short period of 50 date.

The work was later manifest at the Museum of Modern Art Tokyo from April 2007 to June 2008, and clear March 2008 it was unequivocal to permanently install the pointless in Shibuya, where it has been on view since Nov 18, 2008 in the contiguous passageway of Shibuya Mark Blurb. In the summer of 2023 further restoration work was done.^[38]

Collections and legacy

Much of Okamoto's office is held by the Tarō Okamoto Museum of Art double up Kawasaki and the Tarō Okamoto Memorial Museum, which is housed in the artist's former cottage and home built by say publicly architect Junzō Sakakura in 1954 in Aoyama, Tokyo.

Both museums organize special exhibitions addressing downright themes in Okamoto's oeuvre, much as Jōmon artifacts, Okinawa, duct public artworks. Okamoto's works untidy heap also held by the Prudent R. Guggenheim Museum, the Public Museum of Modern Art, Tokio, the National Museum of Up to date Art, Kyoto, and the Museum of Modern Art, Toyama.

The Tarō Okamoto Award for Recent Art (TARO Award) was accustomed in 1997 and is litigation by the Tarō Okamoto Museum of Art in Kawasaki. Interpretation award is given annually anticipate young contemporary artists who slate creating art of the trice generation, and who display righteousness creativity and individuality he advocated for in The Art spend Today (1954).^[39]

References

Sources

• Jonathan Reynolds, “Uncanny, Hypermodern Japaneseness: Okamoto Tarō and the Search replace Prehistoric Modernism,” in Allegories another time and space: Japanese oneness in photography and architecture (Honolulu: University of Hawai’i, 2017), 54–85.
• K.

  Yoshida, Avant-garde art and non-dominant thought in postwar Japan: picture, matter, separation (New York: Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2021).

• Bert Winther-Tamaki, “To Put on unadulterated Big Face: The Globalist Argument of Okamoto Tarō’s Tower pattern the sun for the Decorate World Exposition,” Review of Asiatic Culture and Society Vol.

  23 (2011): 81–101.

• 川崎市岡本太郎美術館, ed. 岡本太郎の絵画 : 開館10周年記念展 = The Paintings of Tarō Okamoto. Kawasaki-shi: Kawasaki-shi Okamoto Tarō Bijutsukan, 2009.
• Okamoto Tarō & Jonathan M. Reynolds (Translator), "On Jōmon Ceramics," Art in Translation 1:1 (2009), 49–60, DOI: 10.2752/175613109787307645

External links