It would seem that the pottery of Oni-Shino exponent,
Tsukigata Nahiko is not that well known in the West. As a potter who had
several television specials, several books, numerous national exhibitions and
catalogues regarding his work, in his homeland, some have called him the
Picasso of Japan. Beyond his pottery, Tsukigata is well known for his
sculpture, wood carvings, painting and calligraphy and for his prize (Grand
Prix) winning oil paintings. His paintings were exhibited throughout Japan and
abroad and there are also several books dedicated to his oils of a wide array
of subject matters.
Illustrated is a bold and colorful still life from the
mid-80's with a wonderfully balanced composition pitting pot against flower
blossoms rendered in quick swirls of bold color with thick impasto borders. The
pot on the other hand is finished in a simple monochrome manner that allows the
texture of the brushstrokes to accentuate the image. This is the trademark
style of Tsukigata that allows the vivid, fluid movement to bring the subject
matter to life in an abstract manner. Painting or pottery, the hand is
immediately identifiable from this renaissance artist.
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