Illustrated is
a large charger painted by Iwao Akiyama (b. 1921). Akiyama is a Japanese print
artist best known for his casual and spontaneous imagery of owls, cats and
cattle. His prints and images are imbued with a subtle and sly sense of humor
and many of his prints include poetry and maxims, some based on Buddhist
teachings. Akiyama was originally studying to be an oil painter when he
discovered the works of Munakata Shiko and met him. He was so taken by the
artist, his work and process, that he went on to study with the master print
maker from 1959 to 1965.
This large,
whimsical charger has all of the tell tale characteristics of Akiyama's work
and the variegation and depth of the glaze and strong form act as a wonderful
canvas for his painting. There is a long standing history of artists in Japan, working across various medium,
just think about Takeuchi Seiho for a moment. It would not have taken much
persuasion to get Akiyama to decorate pottery and based on this example, he had
some experience accentuating forms and using the pigments to their fullest. I
am unsure who threw the Hagi style pot, but the image and calligraphy is all
Akiyama.
.JPG)