Work
1961
Enamel paint of oil based synthetic resin on canvas
60 x 116 cm (23 5/8 x 45 11/16 in.)
A mass of tangled colours and exploding drops of oil paint, Work attests to Sadamasa Motonaga's boldness and spirit of experimentation. Between random drips and the artist's gestures, the canvas becomes a space for abstract, complex play.
A founding member of the Gutai movement, the Japanese artist creates works where a sense of humour and free expression are paramount. After meeting French critic Michel Tapié in 1957, his work became more abstract: scrolls of coloured pigments were intermingled in multicoloured streams on large canvases. Combing popular culture and tradition, Motonaga reappropriates the ancient tarashikomi technique, which consists of adding coloured layers mixed with a first coat of thinly diluted paint. Work attests to this playfulness, where the unexpected gives shape to the work.
This bubbling painting was first presented by the Pinault Collection at the 2015 "Slip of the Tongue" exhibition at the Punta della Dogana in Venice.
A founding member of the Gutai movement, the Japanese artist creates works where a sense of humour and free expression are paramount. After meeting French critic Michel Tapié in 1957, his work became more abstract: scrolls of coloured pigments were intermingled in multicoloured streams on large canvases. Combing popular culture and tradition, Motonaga reappropriates the ancient tarashikomi technique, which consists of adding coloured layers mixed with a first coat of thinly diluted paint. Work attests to this playfulness, where the unexpected gives shape to the work.
This bubbling painting was first presented by the Pinault Collection at the 2015 "Slip of the Tongue" exhibition at the Punta della Dogana in Venice.
Exhibitions
© Motonaga Archive Research Institution /Courtesy of Motonaga Archive Research Institution Ltd.
Photo © Maurice Aeschimann, Onex