One of my former student sent me photos of recent exhibition of Junpei Hashiguchi: his friends call him Paul. Paul graduated from Dohto University in 2005, majoring in silk screen print. While Paul exhibited prints, its his paintings I would like to present here. Unlike his prints and unlike works of most painters in Japan which shows technical virtuosity, these works look quite naive. Yet these works reminisce me early works of Mattise ( nude figures) and Chagall ( elongated figure). Paul's works do not have great inventiveness, rhythmic lines and color composition of these masters, but to me they possess simple charm and warmth that's delight.After graduation Paul worked for while on drama joining a group of Thespians. He even performed in international drama festival in Edinburgh with them. I remember helping out a little translating a short play for this festival and found that some Japanese words such as 'chindonya' are almost impossible to translate cause their are no equivalent in English. Chindonya is a clownish advertisement group that dress in traditional Japanese clothes announcing such things as opening of new store while playing musical instruments.
I told this story because for some reason his painting seem to me at home with world of this play and his seemingly easy going character which I like alot.
In my last year at teaching in Japan, 1908, I notice several Freshman painting in similar simple style as that of Paul that caught me by surprise. I couldn't say then this was one of going directions of Japanese painting. I regret not seeing how these students develop since.
最近、私の教え子から、橋本 Ｈａｓｈｉｍｏ’ポール”潤平君の展覧会の写真が送ってきた。彼は２００５年、道都大学のデザイン学科を卒業した学生で、シルクプリントを学んだ生徒だ。 この展覧会では専門のプリントの作品も展示したようだが、ここでは彼の絵画の作品について述べたい。日本でよく見る、技術的に優れた作品とは違い、ナイブ に見える作品が結構私には魅力に感じる。ヌードで外に転んでいる絵や体が伸びた人の絵など若いころのシャガールやマチースの絵を私に思わす。もちろん、彼 らのような優れた色彩や線のセンスなどは見せないが、言葉で言えないチャームと温かみを感じさせるところが魅力。
卒業後、ポールは演劇の ほうに力を入れていたようで、仲間とスコットランドのエジンバラ市の国際演劇の祭りにまで参加したようだ。その時私も少し彼らたちの短い演劇の英訳を手 伝った。「チンドンヤ」など英語で訳できないような言葉などあり、英訳の難しさを改めておしえられる。ポールの絵を観ていると何故かこのときの劇の世界と 彼の絵が同じ、マーイペースのポールの性格・世界と合併しているように私には感じた。
日本で最後に教えた年、２００８年に入学した一年生 の中に何人かポールの絵に似たような’ナイブなスタイルで描いた学生たちがいて少しびっくりした。’これがこれからの日本の絵の方向性の一つかと思った。 それからの彼らたちの様子が見えなかったことが少し残念だ。
Love the one of the woman in red floating above the buildings!
ReplyDeleteTogether with the painting with all these nude figures reclining on the grass, it reminds me of a limbo dancing contest held at the old Northwest Artist Workshop (remember?)gallery back in 1984(?). Roberta Wong came up with the idea of having a beach party at the gallery, and she had a truck load of sands dump onto the floor of gallery space to create the illusion of beach. There among the events, we had a limbo competition, and Ronna Newshwander won: she had unbelievably rubbery body like the lady in this painting though of different build. I lay down on the sand with beach towel like the people in Paul's other painting enjoying watching all this in between my duties.
ReplyDeleteBill Will who was schedule to have show after this event changed his installation plan. Utilizing this decoration from the Beach Party event, he placed bed in this gallery room filled with sands and had walls hung with hundreds of clocks going tick tock- a wonderful world of sandman and dreams! Were we young and crazy then!