40th Anniversary of Death: Rei Kamoi Exhibition - Drawing the Unseen @ Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum
The Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum is hosting an exhibition commemorating the 40th anniversary of painter Rei Kamoi's death, showcasing works from his early to late career.Summary
The Nagasaki Prefectural Art Museum is holding the exhibition, "40th Anniversary of Death: Rei Kamoi Exhibition - Drawing the Unseen," featuring works by the Nagasaki-affiliated painter Rei Kamoi (1928-1985), who maintained a unique presence in post-war Japanese Western-style painting by choosing figuration over abstraction. The exhibition spans his career from his early days to his final years, including oil paintings, drawings, and special exhibits of original illustrations drawn for the essay series "Mihōroku: A Collection of Chinese Sayings" by novelist Chen Shunchen.
The exhibition is divided into six chapters. The first traces his trajectory to group expressions, such as the dramatic depictions of men gambling in works like "Dice." The second focuses on his self-portraits, revealing changes in his inner world, particularly the figures with painted-over eyes and slack mouths seen after 1969's "Moth." The third chapter highlights the peak of his creativity during his time in Spain, featuring works inspired by the resilient villagers there.
The later chapters cover his final eight years in Kobe, where he explored new expressions in his "Woman" series (Chapter 4); his "Church" series, reflecting his loneliness despite being non-religious (Chapter 5); and a look at his humorous side through the comic illustrations he created for Chen Shunchen's essays (Chapter 6).
(Source：ART iT)