PRINTPROVENANCE:
Aoki Ctally, Tokyo
Aoki Ctally, Tokyo
|
Sweet?
|
|
2002 Acrylic on board 26.4 x 26.4 cm
|
|
Estimate
460,000 - 700,000 118,000 - 180,000 15,200 - 23,200
|
|
Inquiry
|
Catalogue Note:
SWEET?
MASARU SHICHINOHE
Born in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, in 1959, Masaru Shichinohe graduated in 1981 from Musashino Art University College of Art and Design with a major in Architecture, became an architect at the design department of Taisei Corporation and then a professional illustrator three years later. His smaller paintings are the harmoniously incorporation of history with science—he is extremely passionate about alchemy, cosmology, and physics, and exceedingly committed to depicting the details of visual elements from classical oil paintings and fiction. It is precisely because he draws inspiration from so many different dimensions that his artistic ideal can be said to traverse in between the surreal and the real. His works moreover all feature compositions that have been arranged with extreme care.
Masaru Shichinohe's style is greatly influenced by early Renaissance paintings and the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism (Wienner Schule des Phantastischen Realismus). His delicate strokes and precise control of light-to-dark ratio add a mysterious touch to his artworks, making them both fleetingly real and mysterious fantastic. When he first became a painter, both his artist colleagues and the art market favored "Superflat” graphics and the Japanese anime painting style. Masaru Shichinohe, however, maintained his personal approach, focused on the study of realism, and subsequently became a surrealist. He prefers the use of acrylic paint for his creations, and would apply multiple layers of paint onto canvas or wood so as to create the appearance of either transparency or solid hues in different parts of the painting. He likes to apply additional paint using the dry brush method to emphasize details and at the same time add substance to the artwork. This approach opened up new possibilities for his subsequent painting career.
Sweet? is one of Masaru Shichinohe's best works from his "Box Teenager" series, most of which were created using an almost descriptive method rich in the unique aura of fantasy tales such as The Wizard of Oz and Alice's Adventure in Wonderland. In addition to fairy tale influences, the artist's love for rock-and-roll music is also apparent in his work. Elements from the cover art of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd often appear in his compositions; for instance, both a Led Zeppelin airship and scenes from the movie "Blechtrommel, Die" are vividly embodied in the artwork titled "Sweet?”. The child in the painting has a vacant stare that emphasizes the contrasting light and dark in the foreground and prevents the beholder from further exploring the world hidden within this story. The artist used soft tones and strokes to accentuate the details and increase the material weight of the painting, so that the figure and objects within the image exhibit subtle yet dramatic changes under the play of light and shadow. It is precisely Masaru Shichinohe's style of painting that addresses and ameliorates the kitsch, opulent style the deplorable aesthetics of contemporary realist oils had been mired in. His style is one that not only retains the essence of European classicism but also opens up a path of adventure for contemporary Japanese youths devoted to avant-garde art.
The world of Masaru Shichinohe is immersed in the detachment
of the curious and the absurd. In particular, the subjects of his portraits seem to "never grow, never age, exist within a perpetual time and space, unable to move forward into the future ." In his work, there seems to be a window of display within which all things in the universe are contained, or a stage for a drama within a drama that presents to the audience a grotesque and variegated world. This prolific artist has continued to create extraordinarily interesting artworks, using storytelling in his paintings to exhibit unique, awe-inspiring aesthetics while showcasing his undeniable talent in shaping a unique personal style within the vast expanse of contemporary art.
MASARU SHICHINOHE
Born in Aomori Prefecture, Japan, in 1959, Masaru Shichinohe graduated in 1981 from Musashino Art University College of Art and Design with a major in Architecture, became an architect at the design department of Taisei Corporation and then a professional illustrator three years later. His smaller paintings are the harmoniously incorporation of history with science—he is extremely passionate about alchemy, cosmology, and physics, and exceedingly committed to depicting the details of visual elements from classical oil paintings and fiction. It is precisely because he draws inspiration from so many different dimensions that his artistic ideal can be said to traverse in between the surreal and the real. His works moreover all feature compositions that have been arranged with extreme care.
Masaru Shichinohe's style is greatly influenced by early Renaissance paintings and the Vienna School of Fantastic Realism (Wienner Schule des Phantastischen Realismus). His delicate strokes and precise control of light-to-dark ratio add a mysterious touch to his artworks, making them both fleetingly real and mysterious fantastic. When he first became a painter, both his artist colleagues and the art market favored "Superflat” graphics and the Japanese anime painting style. Masaru Shichinohe, however, maintained his personal approach, focused on the study of realism, and subsequently became a surrealist. He prefers the use of acrylic paint for his creations, and would apply multiple layers of paint onto canvas or wood so as to create the appearance of either transparency or solid hues in different parts of the painting. He likes to apply additional paint using the dry brush method to emphasize details and at the same time add substance to the artwork. This approach opened up new possibilities for his subsequent painting career.
Sweet? is one of Masaru Shichinohe's best works from his "Box Teenager" series, most of which were created using an almost descriptive method rich in the unique aura of fantasy tales such as The Wizard of Oz and Alice's Adventure in Wonderland. In addition to fairy tale influences, the artist's love for rock-and-roll music is also apparent in his work. Elements from the cover art of Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd often appear in his compositions; for instance, both a Led Zeppelin airship and scenes from the movie "Blechtrommel, Die" are vividly embodied in the artwork titled "Sweet?”. The child in the painting has a vacant stare that emphasizes the contrasting light and dark in the foreground and prevents the beholder from further exploring the world hidden within this story. The artist used soft tones and strokes to accentuate the details and increase the material weight of the painting, so that the figure and objects within the image exhibit subtle yet dramatic changes under the play of light and shadow. It is precisely Masaru Shichinohe's style of painting that addresses and ameliorates the kitsch, opulent style the deplorable aesthetics of contemporary realist oils had been mired in. His style is one that not only retains the essence of European classicism but also opens up a path of adventure for contemporary Japanese youths devoted to avant-garde art.
The world of Masaru Shichinohe is immersed in the detachment
of the curious and the absurd. In particular, the subjects of his portraits seem to "never grow, never age, exist within a perpetual time and space, unable to move forward into the future ." In his work, there seems to be a window of display within which all things in the universe are contained, or a stage for a drama within a drama that presents to the audience a grotesque and variegated world. This prolific artist has continued to create extraordinarily interesting artworks, using storytelling in his paintings to exhibit unique, awe-inspiring aesthetics while showcasing his undeniable talent in shaping a unique personal style within the vast expanse of contemporary art.