Japan Art and Ogo Tomonosuke: The Abstract Mind (Kyoto)
Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
Ogo Tomonosuke (1898-1962) was born in the high cultural city of Kyoto. In Japan, the cradle of high culture was passed from Nara to Kyoto in distant history.
He was a child of the late Meiji Period (1868-1912). Accordingly, Ogo Tomonosuke witnessed the modernization of Japan – and the optimism of the Taisho Period (1912-1926).
It is easy to imagine that the delightful abstract (first art piece) of mountains and sunrise is a new beginning – not just artistically – but for Japan during the post-war period.
Hence, the abstract mind – given the convulsions of modernization, nationalism, and utter devastation of the war period – makes complete sense.
The Kyoto City KYOCERA Museum of Art says, “Ogo Tomonosuke was born in Kyoto City. After graduating from the Kyoto City School of Arts and Crafts, he studied both Japanese-style and Western-style painting. Later, he aspired to become a dye artist and won his first prize at the Imperial Academy Art Exhibition. He worked with wax-resist dyeing, with designs featuring bold color tones in the style of printed cotton. After the war, he selected natural phenomena as his themes, and developed a style brimming with a distinct poetic sentiment of thick outlines and bold, abstracted shapes.”
Overall, the abstracts depict a world far from the momentous events witnessed by Ogo Tomonosuke. Accordingly, his approach to art when viewing the historical context – is the perfect illusion of reality.
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