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Lot Essay
Invited by Jiro Yoshihara, Sadamasa Motonaga officially joined the Gutai Art Association in 1955, and became a core member of the association for more than a decade. In 1966, Motonaga was sponsored by the Japan Society to take part in a two-year residency in New York. The experience had a profound impact on the development of his art, with him abandoning his earlier focus with the technique of 'dripping' which highlighted spontaneity and planning and began using airbrush gun to spray acrylic pigments on the canvas. The approach allows for the texture of the pigments to be simplified, resulting in surfaces that are delicate and smooth.
Created in 1985, Orange Light (Lot 626) is set against a black and grey background, with a strong contrast created with the green and white colour blocks in the middle, forming a visually dynamic space with three dimensional effects. The stroke of orange on the upper portion of the composition seems to emit a subtle but warm source of light, showcasing the humorous, warm, and bright side with the flat colour applications and colour combinations seen in Motonaga's later work.
Created in 1988, Nikaidate (Two-Storey) (Lot 625) also showcases a similar vibrant, eye-catching, and contrasting composition created with the colours orange, yellow, and black, and is also a painting with three dimensional, animated, and abstract qualities. Motonaga has deliberately left a small, unpainted opening on the left-hand side of each of the iconic oval shapes. This technique of 'leaving a blank' gives the image a sense of infinite extension, allowing the flat colours to take on boundless potential in the spatial structure created. This is one of the most notable features in Motonaga's later oeuvre.
With cartoonesque shapes, bright and saturated colours, and crisp, hardedge geometric contours, Orange Light and Nikaidate (Two-Storey) are iconic examples of Motonaga's light-hearted, humorous, and fascinating style.
Created in 1985, Orange Light (Lot 626) is set against a black and grey background, with a strong contrast created with the green and white colour blocks in the middle, forming a visually dynamic space with three dimensional effects. The stroke of orange on the upper portion of the composition seems to emit a subtle but warm source of light, showcasing the humorous, warm, and bright side with the flat colour applications and colour combinations seen in Motonaga's later work.
Created in 1988, Nikaidate (Two-Storey) (Lot 625) also showcases a similar vibrant, eye-catching, and contrasting composition created with the colours orange, yellow, and black, and is also a painting with three dimensional, animated, and abstract qualities. Motonaga has deliberately left a small, unpainted opening on the left-hand side of each of the iconic oval shapes. This technique of 'leaving a blank' gives the image a sense of infinite extension, allowing the flat colours to take on boundless potential in the spatial structure created. This is one of the most notable features in Motonaga's later oeuvre.
With cartoonesque shapes, bright and saturated colours, and crisp, hardedge geometric contours, Orange Light and Nikaidate (Two-Storey) are iconic examples of Motonaga's light-hearted, humorous, and fascinating style.