Yoshitomo Naras work is characterised by deceptive cuteness. His large-eyed children appear only at first glance as messengers of an ideal world, but a closer look usually reveals a hidden abyss, a subtle threat. The play with ambivalence has made the painter and sculptor famous.
(...) Continue readingYoshitomo Nara – A childhood full of freedom and dreams
Yoshitomo Nara was born in Hirosaki on 5 December 1959. In a time of economic boom, both parents were working, and the little Yoshitomo was largely left to himself and his dreams. He hardly even saw his two much older brothers. On the one hand, Nara enjoyed this freedom, but on the other, he often felt lonely. Yoshitomo came to the fine arts by way of a piquant coincidence: as a bored literature student, he noticed a course in nude drawing during a cigarette break, and decided to take part - probably not out of a sincere interest in art. He enjoyed drawing in particular so much that, encouraged by his teacher, he followed this path, initially studying at the Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music from 1985 to 1987, where he obtained a Master of Fine Arts.
Studies in Düsseldorf with A. R. Penck
In 1988, Yoshitomo Nara followed the call of some friends and moved to Germany to continue his studies at the Düsseldorf Art Academy. Unable to understand German, he experienced a sculpture course in similar isolation to his childhood in Japan. During his six years of study, he had little contact with his teacher A. R. Penck, and little connection with the German artists of his generation, Georg Baselitz, Markus Lüpertz or Gerhard Richter. Nevertheless, he did not regard these years in Germany as lost but saw himself as having matured artistically and in ability.
The grand master of the cute manga style with traditional models
The work of Yoshitomo Nara is often associated with anime, the famous Japanese comic films. The artist himself, however, vehemently rejects this obvious association and instead cites Western influences such as the text-based literature of Michael Ende, Erich Kästner, and Astrid Lindgren as important models. Nevertheless, the visual similarity of his large-eyed children and cute animals to the popular ‘Super Deformed’ style of the Japanese manga and anime scene cannot be overlooked. The artist has also acquired much inspiration from music – here too, it is mainly the Western punk rock artists who best capture his attitude to life.
Fame drives Yoshitomo Nara for a time into exile
Original works by Yoshitomo Nara have long sold for unbelievably high prices and are set to increase further – so much so, that many pictures are now reproduced and still sell immediately. In the meantime, the artist finds the excitement difficult to deal with and has moved to the countryside to regain the solitude of his youth and from which to draw new inspiration for his art. For Yoshitomo Nara, it is unthinkable to carry out mere commissions, to create works that merely fulfil the wishes of others.
Yoshitomo Nara lives and works today primarily in Tokyo.
Yoshitomo Nara - Works that have already been sold at Kunsthaus Lempertz:
