Collections of Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennale 2022
Kaori Tanaka 1959 - 2013
Kaori Tanaka 1959 - 2013
Born in 1959 in Tokyo. Passed away in 2013.
Japanese-style painter known for dynamic composition capturing nature such as grass and trees, stones and soils, rainfalls and snow, flowing water and blowing wind. Her works span from figurative images such as "garden," "stream" and "pine tree", to geometric shapes such as "□△○." In her later years, she expressed her view of nature and the universe by using a single abstract in the "Line" and "Dust" series. Many of her works use silver or gold leaves, or tamamushi (tarnished silver leaf) leaves, and while having the elegant and gorgeous luster of the leaf, the style of his work is extremely simple and modern. Her works are collected by many private collectors in Japan and abroad, and also many are collected as public collections in such as the Tokyo Kioicho Campus of Josai University and The Peninsula Tokyo.
ArtworkPlease click the thumbnail for zoom
The installation view of solo show. Photo Ishizuka Gentaro
A sincere artist of Japanese painting, Kaori Tanaka (1959-2013) draws on motifs in the nature ranging from grass, trees, stones, soil, rain, snow, water flow, moon to wind. She passed away at the early age of fifty-three two years ago, leaving behind her whole life as a painter over twenty five years. Her exhibition was held in Echigo-Tsumari 2015, beloved venue of the artist. Art works, chosen to remind us to appreciate the transition of her concept on nature and universe, include Garden, Current, early masterpieces, Hojo, posthumous work exhibited for the first time, abstract Line, Square, Triangle, Circle and Dust series in late years.
The installation view of solo show. Photo Ishizuka Gentaro
Installed neatly in the old folk house of Bunanoki Gakusha built 240 years ago, the works demonstrate her lifelong project to pursue “the relationship between space and Japanese painting”, altering the whole muscular space for what the solitary-and–brave challenger has dreamed of. What we call Japanese Painting was born out of Fusuma, Shoji or Sliding screen, Byobu, and Scroll painting etc. In fact, her attitude for paintings transformed from traditional method and symbols in Rinpa Style into abstract “lines” themselves, which we can see at this show.
"Garden II" 1989
Echigo-Tsumari Art Field
Other artists in the “Collections”
