.jpg?w=1)
Lot Essay
Christie's is proud to present two works by Hisao Domoto epitomizing a before and after Art Informel, perfectly illustrating the 360 degree transition from gestural expressionist painting to technical layering of material.
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 453) 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. 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. The search of his own self urged Domoto to discover a unique expression, and he revealed "[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". The artist's boundless exploration gave birth to a new series titled Solutions of Continuities in 1963. In 1964, Domoto is invited to represent Japan at the 32th Venice Biennale, Solutions of Continuities are showcased in the Japan Pavilion and received strong attention from the 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 possibility 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 1963-52 (Lot 452), Domoto built three-dimensional structure on diptych format. Five independent rectangular forms with the application ofgold 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 can be divided into two phrase: the use of striking gold colour is the first phrase which only emerged in 1963-1965. Lot 452 is one the very few examples. Similar piece dated 1963 is held in the collection of Galleria Nazionate d'Arte Moderna, Roma, Italy.
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 453) 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. 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. The search of his own self urged Domoto to discover a unique expression, and he revealed "[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". The artist's boundless exploration gave birth to a new series titled Solutions of Continuities in 1963. In 1964, Domoto is invited to represent Japan at the 32th Venice Biennale, Solutions of Continuities are showcased in the Japan Pavilion and received strong attention from the 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 possibility 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 1963-52 (Lot 452), Domoto built three-dimensional structure on diptych format. Five independent rectangular forms with the application ofgold 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 can be divided into two phrase: the use of striking gold colour is the first phrase which only emerged in 1963-1965. Lot 452 is one the very few examples. Similar piece dated 1963 is held in the collection of Galleria Nazionate d'Arte Moderna, Roma, Italy.