Life-size, fully sculpted figures rendered in lacquer and gold powder are on view at Yoshii Gallery
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Tuesday, October 8, 2024


Life-size, fully sculpted figures rendered in lacquer and gold powder are on view at Yoshii Gallery
Gen Saratani, Untitled, Snake, 2018-2019 (detail). Lacquered sculpture, maki-e technique. Lacquer, 24 karat gold powder, stone powder, wire, and steel. Overall: H. 84 x D. 5 1/2 in. (213.4 x 14 cm). Snake: H. 61 x D. 3 in. (155 x 7.7 cm). Frog: L. 3 9/16 x W. 1 3/16 x. H. 13/16 in. 9 x 3 x 2 cm. Leaves: H. 5 1/2 x W. 5 1/2 in. 14 x 14 cm.



NEW YORK, NY.- Life-size, fully sculpted figures rendered in lacquer and gold powder are on view in Gen Saratani: Maki-e Sculpture at Yoshii Gallery from September 12 to October 20, 2019. The three-dimensional contemporary works, from 2018-2019, are on an unprecedented scale for this venerable Japanese medium and technique, extending its artistic possibilities to a new level.

A master of the traditional medium of lacquer sprinkled with metallic powder, or maki-e, Gen Saratani (b. 1980) has created two dynamic works that reflect a traditional Japanese cultural interest in nature but with a twist, at least to the Western eye. He presents not the serenity of a lotus blossom or a cloudshrouded moon but an impending denouement between predator and prey.

Untitled (Snake) shows a snake (a symbol of rebirth in Japanese culture) coiled and draped around a pole, its mouth agape, about to snare a frog, which in Japanese symbolism represents a return. Saratani’s snake is a luminous, sinewy figure that measures nearly ten feet. Lacquered leaves descend from the top of the pole, suggestive of a branch.

Saratani developed the snake’s form using a mixture of very fine-grained whetstone powder, lacquer, and water to create a malleable claylike medium, which is not known to have been used on this scale previously. The addition of numerous layers of lacquer create the seemingly glowing surface. The maki-e surface is a deep, burnished gold, which is the result of the application of an unusually large amount of 24 karat gold powder. Each of the thousands of scales in its ornately patterned skin is finely articulated and carved by hand.

Untitled (Carp) presents two carp on the verge of competing to snatch a dragonfly. The bellies of the carp rest on a vertical lacquered pole, its surface rippled to suggest the surface of a pond. Where the fish appear solid and dense, the dragonfly – made of cloth encased in lacquer, molded, and then shaped with additional layers of lacquer and adorned with silver powder – is a work of lightness and delicacy.

The scale of Saratani’s work and its narrative power are exceptional in lacquer works. Lacquer is a toxic substance made from tree sap and has been used for millennia to embellish objects with a hard, lustrous and highly reflective surface. Functionally, lacquer is durable and waterproof. The practice of decorating it with powdered gold, silver, or other metals was first established in Japan in the eighth century C.E. Working with lacquer is a labor intensive process. In its highest artistic form, it requires dozens of layers of the refined sap, each of which is allowed to dry and then polished. Maki-e has traditionally been used with small objects, including portable containers such as incense and document boxes, among others.

Gen Saratani is a New York-based artist who works exclusively with the organic materials found in the traditional fine arts of Japan. Following high school and college studies in the arts in Japan, where he grew up, he served a three-year apprenticeship with his father, Tomizo, a lacquer artist, and a two-year apprenticeship studying maki-e under Akira Takeda in Kyoto. In addition to his own work as an artist, he has conserved thousands of works of art and lectured, led workshops, or given demonstrations on working with lacquer or conservation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Art and Design, the Fashion Institute of Technology, Parsons School of Design, and numerous other organizations.










Today's News

September 19, 2019

Paris art sale goes ahead despite Mexico protest

Hindman hosts Atlanta Collections Auction

'Drama and Devotion in Baroque Rome' celebrates Caravaggio's influence

Asheville Art Museum announces first public art installation on its plaza

Exciting estate discoveries highlight Stephenson's Sept. 20 Late Summer Antiques & Decorative Arts Auction

Louisiana Museum of Modern Art opens the biggest exhibition so far in Europe of works by Marsden Hartley

Getty to devote $100 million to address threats to the world's ancient cultural heritage

Grey Art Gallery opens 'Modernisms: Iranian, Turkish, and Indian Highlights from NYU's Abby Weed Grey Collection'

Christie's announces highlights included in its Thinking Italian Evening Auction

Let me take you down: Strawberry Field opens to public

Michael Werner Gallery presents Sigmar Polke Objects: Real and Imagined

Lauren Schell Dickens promoted to Senior Curator at the San José Museum of Art

Northwestern University opens first media museum in Arab region

Phillips announces highlights from the 20th Century & Contemporary Art Frieze week auctions

Miró Universe, organised by the Fundació Joan Miró, opens at the Spanish Embassy in Ireland

Bonhams Los Angeles announces its fall 2019 Modern Design │ Art Auction

Life-size, fully sculpted figures rendered in lacquer and gold powder are on view at Yoshii Gallery

Sotheby's Hong Kong presents Modern and Contemporary Southeast Asian Art autumn sales 2019

Feliciano Centurión's first London exhibition opens at Cecilia Brunson Projects

Debut London solo exhibition of British artist Rebecca Harper opens at Huxley-Parlour Gallery

Prinseps' saw strong results across their consecutive 8th and 9th auctions of rare books and prints

Prison becomes 'second home' for Turkish cartoonist

Gallery Henoch opens a group show focused solely on the work of women

Bates College receives $192,000 grant for creation of comprehensive public catalogue of Marsden Hartley art




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful