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Lot Essay
Raising the concept of eccentricity of post-war Japanese art, Nobuo Tsuji, a Japanese art historian, rediscovers the genealogy of Japanese artistic development since the Edo period (1603-1867) and terms it as "The Lineage of Eccentricity". Heretofore, its expressiveness and features still generate a far-reaching impact on contemporary Japanese art. Inheriting this unique cultural tradition, Aya Takano develops her own artistic presentation to elucidate the changes in post-war Japanese culture and illustrate her mental state. The Chamber of Underrawings of Cranes for Waka by 36 Immortals (Dance) (Lot 2421) belongs to the "Towards Future" series created in 2010. As the series approaches its ripeness, Aya Takano brings viewer into another dimension where time is emptied and replaced by overwhelming tension.
"Through this work of art, I walk back and forth in this private space of my own. This is a mind's journey that reconciles with my experience as an artist. I am inspired, in the creative process, to unite the inner me with the cosmos. As for my painting style, it is chiefly influenced by Tawaraya Sotatsu, the pioneer of Japanese Rinpa Painting, and also by Ito Jakuchu." - Aya Takano
Takashi Murakami suggested in his "Super Flat" art theory that "all of the 'eccentric' artists shared a certain structural methodology, in which they created surface images that erased interstices and thus made the observer aware of the images' extreme planarity." From Ito Jakuchu's "Birds and Animals in the Flower Garden" (Fig. 1) and "A Group of Roosters" (Fig. 2) in the eighteenth century, to The Chamber of Underrawings of Cranes for Waka by 36 Immortals (Dance) in 2010, the composition of these artworks takes control of the manner and rhythm of viewers. It guides them to travel among the spectacles and wonders crafted by the artist. Aya Takano is not satisfied by retelling the pleasure that can only be felt on her own; she wants to absorb the observer into the scenarios built in her works. This kind of joy may be derived from reading a science fiction or beholding a cloud in a fanciful shape. To Aya, all these, however diversified, share an origin in opposing the social reactionary.
"Through this work of art, I walk back and forth in this private space of my own. This is a mind's journey that reconciles with my experience as an artist. I am inspired, in the creative process, to unite the inner me with the cosmos. As for my painting style, it is chiefly influenced by Tawaraya Sotatsu, the pioneer of Japanese Rinpa Painting, and also by Ito Jakuchu." - Aya Takano
Takashi Murakami suggested in his "Super Flat" art theory that "all of the 'eccentric' artists shared a certain structural methodology, in which they created surface images that erased interstices and thus made the observer aware of the images' extreme planarity." From Ito Jakuchu's "Birds and Animals in the Flower Garden" (Fig. 1) and "A Group of Roosters" (Fig. 2) in the eighteenth century, to The Chamber of Underrawings of Cranes for Waka by 36 Immortals (Dance) in 2010, the composition of these artworks takes control of the manner and rhythm of viewers. It guides them to travel among the spectacles and wonders crafted by the artist. Aya Takano is not satisfied by retelling the pleasure that can only be felt on her own; she wants to absorb the observer into the scenarios built in her works. This kind of joy may be derived from reading a science fiction or beholding a cloud in a fanciful shape. To Aya, all these, however diversified, share an origin in opposing the social reactionary.