Tokyo Gallery + BTAP is pleased to announce the solo exhibition “Josaku Maeda,” opening on April 12 (Sat).
After studying Western-style painting at Musashino Art University, Josaku Maeda became strongly influenced by the writings of the critic Konstanty Jeleński, whom he met while studying in France. Since then, Maeda has been producing mandala-themed works that have earned him international acclaim for a long time. He has also had a significant impact on the field of art education, having served as professor at Kyoto City University of Arts and president of Musashino Art University. This exhibition introduces viewers to Maeda’s unique world, focusing on his works from the 1950s and 60s, including those produced while he was in France.
Josaku Maeda (1926-2007) was born in Toyama Prefecture. He enlisted in the army at the end of the Pacific War and witnessed the devastation wrought by the air raids, experiences that also feature prominently in his works. After graduating from university in 1953, Maeda joined the Jiyu Bijutsuka Kyokai (Free Artists Association) in 1955. In 1958, he traveled to France on a scholarship awarded for winning the Grand Prix at the 1st International Young Artists Exhibition in 1957. In Paris, Jeleński described his work as “mandala-like,” which inspired Maeda to develop an artistic universe centered on this motif. Maeda also interacted with Korean artists such as Kim Tschang-yeul (1929-2021) and Park Seo-Bo (1931-2023), who were based in Paris at the time.
The “Paysage Humain” (Human Landscape) series on display at this exhibition is the same one that was exhibited at his solo show at the Galerie Lambert in 1959. Painted over a period of several years, “Paysage Humain” shows the shifts and transitions that occurred in Maeda’s painting style. The dense geometric patterns on the pictorial surface are human figures turned into symbols, while the interlocking rings seem to express the vitality of people rising up in the face of the ravages of war. His “Human Birth” series, which was painted from 1962 to 1963, was begun as a response to the birth of his daughter, and was directly motivated by the anxiety and joy of becoming a father in a foreign land. In a complete departure from his previous style, these paintings are characterized by bold compositions brimming with a sense of transparency, painted with a fluid touch on a white background. Although these series are oil paintings, they are painted with pointed brushes and maki-e brushes with an extra fine tip. The way that Maeda has thoroughly honed and refined his unique production processes, including how he depicts his subjects using thin ink, has earned him critical acclaim both in Japan and abroad.
We look forward to welcoming you to this exhibition.
