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Lot Essay
OPPOSING DYNAMICS
Born in Kyoto of a family of painters, Hisao Domoto (1928-2013) studied traditional Japanese painting before travelling in Europe in 1952. This introduced him to Western abstract painting and persuaded him to set his sights of comprehensive world view but also re-examine the Japanese culture in which he has been raised. Domoto moved to Paris in 1955 and returned to Japan 12 years later.
During the first half of his stay in Paris (1956-1961), Domoto's work was inspired initially by the theory of Art Informel championed by Michel Tapié, Georges Mathieu etc., and Domoto quickly became successful and befriended with rising painters such as Pierre Soulages and Zao Wou-Ki (fig. 1). In 1962, he boldly withdrew from Art Informel in order to seek sound form of expression outside Art Informel, his unique style of Solutions of Continuities followed: superimposed strips and recurrent pattern of contrasting colours. The continuing structure developed into "Planet and Eclipse" series in the 1970s, then came his "Chain Reaction" series since 1980, marrying the theme of the chain to that of the circle, caught in fluid and rhythmical movement, reinforced by vivid and radiant colours.
Tension of Spirit
Shortly after his arrival in Paris in 1955, Domoto played a role in the new wave of intense, radical and distinctive painting emerged in Paris, which is now categorised as Art Informel. Painted in 1957, Tension (Lot 470) is an iconic example of Domoto's bold abstract painting reminiscent of nebulae and billowing waves. Domoto once said the formation of his style was occasioned by a certain mysterious experience he had after surgery. The effect of anaesthesia led to a peculiar sensation, as if everything around him in the hospital room has vanished into whiteness.1 He altered the images into curving and lyrical calligraphic strokes on white background in Tension of Spirit as if an endless swirl in cloud banks.
Solutions of Continuities:
New possibility of abstract art
The eagerness to explore new form of art outside Art Informel trend prompted Domoto to withdraw from the movement in 1962, regardless Domoto is recognized as a new star of the group. It is also the search of his own self urged Domoto to discover a unique expression. Domoto revealed that at the age of 36, "[i]n 1964, I started thinking of myself not as a Japanese, but as someone who had to have a form of my own, and I was searching for that".2 The artist's boundless exploration gave birth to a new series titled Solutions of Continuities in 1963. It is also in 1964, Domoto is invited to represent Japan to participate the 32th Venice Biennale, Solutions of Continuities are showcased in Japan Pavilion and received strong attention from Western art scene. Later in 1965, Domoto's Solutions of Continuities is invited to take part in American travelling exhibition titled The New Japanese Painting and Sculpture organized by The Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1965-1966.
The form of expression in Solutions of Continuities is regarded as a new possibilities for abstract art, demonstrating logical composition as an alternate aesthetic alien to the trend of spontaneity in Art Informel. This series also marked Domoto's rediscovery of graphic tradition in Japanese visual art that has few rivals in the history of art.
In Solutions of Continuities, Domoto built three-dimensional structure on diptych format. Five independent rectangular forms with the application of gold leaf and gold paint are composed on two vertical columns, projecting distinctive vision, yet a sense of regularity and quietness at the first sight. The gold horizontal pattern, in fact, creates sudden linear opposition against black interval space. The flat black space pauses the gold recurrent structure sharply, as if dissolving the continuity. According to the artist, the motif of this series is the columns in the Parthenon, and the overlapping patterns suggest the image of grooves carved on a pillar. Solutions of Continuities series (1963 – 1970) can be divided into two phrase: the use of striking gold colour is the first phrase which only emerged in 1963-1965. Lot 468 is one the very few examples. Similar piece dated 1963 is held in the collection of Galleria Nazionate d'Arte Moderna, Roma, Italy.
Opposing dynamics is a core spirit in Domoto's art. He once said, "opposing forces are always present in my work, and the same is true to the earlier series Solutions of Continuities. There you have horizontal lines drawn across vertical composition".3 Domoto succeeded in creating a tension on canvas between physicality and composition, which is different from Informel artists Antoni Tapies and Alberto Burri who focused on the material nature and highly relied on materiality.
Lunar Eclipse: Unity of the two Japanese traditions
In 1967, Domoto moved to Tokyo. He started to explore circles as the major structural element and later titled some works related to planet and cosmos, corresponding to the space programme at that era. Domoto's focus shifted from materiality to geometric composition. In the 1970s, Domoto shifted from oil paint to acrylic. The change of medium allowed the transparency, smoothness and flatness of paint surface, and enhanced the visual movement created by the overlapping and repetitive shapes. The formula of colouring and shading within the interlocking circles in Lunar Eclipse , 1977 (Lot 469) forms contrast of light and dark, shimmer and shadow, showing how the full moon is covered gradually, turning from light to dark from the lower left during lunar eclipse. This type of work extends the Japanese graphic and motif tradition. Its optical effect echo Victor Vasarely in the same time frame of world art history.
1 Shinichiro Osaki,"Hisao Domoto: Movement and Discontinuity". Shinichiro Osaki, Etsuko Sugiyama (Eds.), Hisao Domoto Retrospective, The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto; & Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan, 2005.
2 Same as above.
3 Same as above.
Born in Kyoto of a family of painters, Hisao Domoto (1928-2013) studied traditional Japanese painting before travelling in Europe in 1952. This introduced him to Western abstract painting and persuaded him to set his sights of comprehensive world view but also re-examine the Japanese culture in which he has been raised. Domoto moved to Paris in 1955 and returned to Japan 12 years later.
During the first half of his stay in Paris (1956-1961), Domoto's work was inspired initially by the theory of Art Informel championed by Michel Tapié, Georges Mathieu etc., and Domoto quickly became successful and befriended with rising painters such as Pierre Soulages and Zao Wou-Ki (fig. 1). In 1962, he boldly withdrew from Art Informel in order to seek sound form of expression outside Art Informel, his unique style of Solutions of Continuities followed: superimposed strips and recurrent pattern of contrasting colours. The continuing structure developed into "Planet and Eclipse" series in the 1970s, then came his "Chain Reaction" series since 1980, marrying the theme of the chain to that of the circle, caught in fluid and rhythmical movement, reinforced by vivid and radiant colours.
Tension of Spirit
Shortly after his arrival in Paris in 1955, Domoto played a role in the new wave of intense, radical and distinctive painting emerged in Paris, which is now categorised as Art Informel. Painted in 1957, Tension (Lot 470) is an iconic example of Domoto's bold abstract painting reminiscent of nebulae and billowing waves. Domoto once said the formation of his style was occasioned by a certain mysterious experience he had after surgery. The effect of anaesthesia led to a peculiar sensation, as if everything around him in the hospital room has vanished into whiteness.1 He altered the images into curving and lyrical calligraphic strokes on white background in Tension of Spirit as if an endless swirl in cloud banks.
Solutions of Continuities:
New possibility of abstract art
The eagerness to explore new form of art outside Art Informel trend prompted Domoto to withdraw from the movement in 1962, regardless Domoto is recognized as a new star of the group. It is also the search of his own self urged Domoto to discover a unique expression. Domoto revealed that at the age of 36, "[i]n 1964, I started thinking of myself not as a Japanese, but as someone who had to have a form of my own, and I was searching for that".2 The artist's boundless exploration gave birth to a new series titled Solutions of Continuities in 1963. It is also in 1964, Domoto is invited to represent Japan to participate the 32th Venice Biennale, Solutions of Continuities are showcased in Japan Pavilion and received strong attention from Western art scene. Later in 1965, Domoto's Solutions of Continuities is invited to take part in American travelling exhibition titled The New Japanese Painting and Sculpture organized by The Museum of Modern Art in New York in 1965-1966.
The form of expression in Solutions of Continuities is regarded as a new possibilities for abstract art, demonstrating logical composition as an alternate aesthetic alien to the trend of spontaneity in Art Informel. This series also marked Domoto's rediscovery of graphic tradition in Japanese visual art that has few rivals in the history of art.
In Solutions of Continuities, Domoto built three-dimensional structure on diptych format. Five independent rectangular forms with the application of gold leaf and gold paint are composed on two vertical columns, projecting distinctive vision, yet a sense of regularity and quietness at the first sight. The gold horizontal pattern, in fact, creates sudden linear opposition against black interval space. The flat black space pauses the gold recurrent structure sharply, as if dissolving the continuity. According to the artist, the motif of this series is the columns in the Parthenon, and the overlapping patterns suggest the image of grooves carved on a pillar. Solutions of Continuities series (1963 – 1970) can be divided into two phrase: the use of striking gold colour is the first phrase which only emerged in 1963-1965. Lot 468 is one the very few examples. Similar piece dated 1963 is held in the collection of Galleria Nazionate d'Arte Moderna, Roma, Italy.
Opposing dynamics is a core spirit in Domoto's art. He once said, "opposing forces are always present in my work, and the same is true to the earlier series Solutions of Continuities. There you have horizontal lines drawn across vertical composition".3 Domoto succeeded in creating a tension on canvas between physicality and composition, which is different from Informel artists Antoni Tapies and Alberto Burri who focused on the material nature and highly relied on materiality.
Lunar Eclipse: Unity of the two Japanese traditions
In 1967, Domoto moved to Tokyo. He started to explore circles as the major structural element and later titled some works related to planet and cosmos, corresponding to the space programme at that era. Domoto's focus shifted from materiality to geometric composition. In the 1970s, Domoto shifted from oil paint to acrylic. The change of medium allowed the transparency, smoothness and flatness of paint surface, and enhanced the visual movement created by the overlapping and repetitive shapes. The formula of colouring and shading within the interlocking circles in Lunar Eclipse , 1977 (Lot 469) forms contrast of light and dark, shimmer and shadow, showing how the full moon is covered gradually, turning from light to dark from the lower left during lunar eclipse. This type of work extends the Japanese graphic and motif tradition. Its optical effect echo Victor Vasarely in the same time frame of world art history.
1 Shinichiro Osaki,"Hisao Domoto: Movement and Discontinuity". Shinichiro Osaki, Etsuko Sugiyama (Eds.), Hisao Domoto Retrospective, The National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto; & Setagaya Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan, 2005.
2 Same as above.
3 Same as above.