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Gaku ONOGI: NAYAMI-NO-TANE
Editor's Note
Written by Tomohiro MASUDA   
Published: November 01 2009

Gaku Onogi continued to create paintings using pastels and watercolors in his old age while realizing that he was close to death. He is well known for esoteric and robust images of his abstract paintings. Nonetheless, he used delightful, humorous and sarcastic motifs in pastel and water-color paintings. Why did he create such a cheerful impression, though he came close to death? Or, conversely, did he make such amusing paintings due to the fact that he was close to the end of life? Anyway, in the first exhibition room we find his pastel paintings which were created in his very last years, which contributes to giving us, in the next display room, a familiar image of his primary job - abstract paintings - which may evoke for us profound and some difficult impressions at a glance. By the way, a permanent exhibition in Nerima Art Museum gives us an opportunity to view posthumous works of Noboru Ohta who also died prematurely. Autumn is said to be the best season for enjoying art. How about mourning for the deceased close to you rather than enjoying looking at paintings of gorgeous life of royalties which were drawn by artists who worked at royal court in far-away lands, and offerings which are unfamiliar to us. In fact, Japanese people, no, excuse me, I am really susceptible to premature mortalities. (Translated by Nozomi Nakayama)

Last Updated on November 03 2015
 

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