A Red Star and a Brass Ball

Details

Masaru Shichinohe (b. 1959)
A Red Star and a Brass Ball
signed 'shichinohe' in English (lower right)
oil on board
57 x 35 cm.(22 1/2 x 13 3/4 in.)
Painted in 2014

Special Notice

This property has been sourced from overseas. When auctioned, such property will remain under “bond” with the applicable import customs duties and taxes being deferred unless and until the property is brought into free circulation in the PRC. Prospective buyers are reminded that after paying for this lot in full and cleared funds, if they wish to import this lot into the PRC, they will be responsible for and will have to pay the applicable import customs duties and taxes. The rates of import customs duty and tax are based on the value of the goods and the relevant customs regulations and classifications in force at the time of import. The final amounts will be determined by PRC Customs and other competent authorities at the time of import. Neither Christie’s nor the seller warrants or guarantees the accuracy of this information and we are not responsible in any way for any errors or omissions. Potential buyers are responsible for satisfying themselves as to the amount of import customs duty and tax payable for lots which they buy and intend to import into the P

Brought to you by

Eric Chang

acahk@christies.com +852 2978 9939

Lot Essay

The realistic perspective technique used by Japanese artist Masaru Schichinohe has secured his primacy within the Japanese painting. His work A Red Star and a Brass Ball (Lot 112) emphasises a rigorous architectural design, but is softened with surrealism that shades the rational structure of its edifice. The figure's real sense of volume in a sharply contrasting three-dimensional spaced picture format recalls the Renaissance period, even as it upholds the precision of this art style that depicts nature and science. Clad in a red velvet dress, the girl casts her naive and baffled eyes in a fixed gaze at a point beyond the frame. Her hand clasps a golden ball, the infinite trajectory of whose descent hints at the viewer's incapacity to visualise the mystical space encompassed within the steel bin. The illustrative narrative-style layout cues the viewer to probe the air that is piqued with curiosity lurking within the vignette, while the starkly bright- dim contrast of light and shadow imparts a nostalgic retro ambience to this picture, and so presents a fantasy atmosphere reminiscent of a scene staged in a theatre. Under the influence of a markedly Western style, Masaru Schichinohe borrows from non-traditional Japanese methods to artfully usher the viewer into a tableau replete with fantasy.

More from Asian And Western 20th Century & Contemporary Art

View All