is a Japanese artist based in
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...
, Japan.
She is known for her paintings, which often portray dreamlike scenes of lone female figures.
Early life and education
Kashiki was born in
Kyoto City
Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the city ...
, Japan.
In 2006, she earned a
Bachelor of Fine Arts
A Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) is a standard undergraduate degree for students for pursuing a professional education in the visual, fine or performing arts. It is also called Bachelor of Visual Arts (BVA) in some cases.
Background
The Bachelor ...
degree in
oil painting
Oil painting is the process of painting with pigments with a medium of drying oil as the binder. It has been the most common technique for artistic painting on wood panel or canvas for several centuries, spreading from Europe to the rest of ...
and in 2008, a
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts (MFA or M.F.A.)
is a terminal degree in fine arts, including visual arts, creative writing, graphic design, photography, filmmaking, dance, theatre, other performing arts and in some cases, theatre management or arts admini ...
degree in painting, both from
Kyoto City University of Arts
is a public, municipal university of general art and music in Kyoto, Japan. Established in 1880, it is Japan's oldest university of the arts (the predecessor of Tokyo University of the Arts was founded in 1887). Among its faculty and graduates ...
. In 2011, she earned a PhD in painting from
Kyoto City University of Arts
is a public, municipal university of general art and music in Kyoto, Japan. Established in 1880, it is Japan's oldest university of the arts (the predecessor of Tokyo University of the Arts was founded in 1887). Among its faculty and graduates ...
.
[
]
Career
Despite her previous training in Nihonga
''Nihonga'' (, "Japanese-style paintings") are Japanese paintings from about 1900 onwards that have been made in accordance with traditional Japanese artistic conventions, techniques and materials. While based on traditions over a thousand years ...
, Kashiki's paintings are often compared to Surrealist
Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...
works because of the "melted" quality of her subject matter and individualized technique.
Kashiki reinforces themes that are found elsewhere in contemporary Japanese art
Japanese art covers a wide range of art styles and media, including ancient pottery, sculpture, ink painting and calligraphy on silk and paper, ''ukiyo-e'' paintings and woodblock prints, ceramics, origami, and more recently manga and anime. It ...
such as providing immersive visual escapes from society's uneasiness left from recent natural disasters
A natural disaster is "the negative impact following an actual occurrence of natural hazard in the event that it significantly harms a community". A natural disaster can cause loss of life or damage property, and typically leaves some econo ...
like the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami
The occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on 11 March. The magnitude 9.0–9.1 (M) undersea megathrust earthquake had an epicenter in the Pacific Ocean, east of the Oshika Peninsula of the Tōhoku region, and lasted approximately six minutes ...
.[
In 2011, she was featured in the "BYE BYE KITTY!!! Between Heaven and Hell in Contemporary Japanese Art" exhibition curated by David Elliott at the Japan Society in New York City, along with fifteen other contemporary Japanese artists.]
Subject matter
The intricate details of Kashiki's work is said to be influenced by Buddhist art
Buddhist art is visual art produced in the context of Buddhism. It includes depictions of Gautama Buddha and other Buddhas and bodhisattvas, notable Buddhist figures both historical and mythical, narrative scenes from their lives, mandalas, and ...
from the Heian period
The is the last division of classical Japanese history, running from 794 to 1185. It followed the Nara period, beginning when the 50th emperor, Emperor Kanmu, moved the capital of Japan to Heian-kyō (modern Kyoto). means "peace" in Japanese. ...
.
Kashiki primarily paints female figures and is said to also draw inspiration from Bijin-ga
is a generic term for pictures of beautiful women () in Japanese art, especially in woodblock printing of the ukiyo-e genre.
Definition
defines as a picture that simply "emphasizes the beauty of women", and the ''Shincho Encyclopedia of W ...
style of depicting beautiful women, a central theme from the ukiyo-e
Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surfac ...
genre of Japanese art
Japanese art covers a wide range of art styles and media, including ancient pottery, sculpture, ink painting and calligraphy on silk and paper, ''ukiyo-e'' paintings and woodblock prints, ceramics, origami, and more recently manga and anime. It ...
.[ Her concern with specific details of the body, such as wrinkled skin, are reflected in a series of drawings from 2014.][
The settings in which these figures are placed are often "otherworldly backgrounds",][ which still appear to be loosely based on the city of Kyoto, Tomoko Kashiki's hometown.][ Interior spaces where she often situates her women are identifiable. The hallways, columns, windows, even electrical sockets provide a definitive sense of ground][ yet seemingly empty, varied, and flattened perspectives][ create "an imaginary and ethereal world with no specific temporal or geographic location".][
]
Style
Kashiki carefully selects all of the elements of a painting based on a clear, "private philosophy of beauty". "...gesture, facial expression, pose, specific objects, background, location, situation, composition, surface texture, line thickness, nexus of layers, degree of blurring" all become relevant considerations to her vision.[
Fluid, organic and sensual elements like the effects of water are reoccurring themes in Kashiki's works,][ which she explains to be informed by her "fresh feeling of being alive".][ Dream, desire][ and yearning][ remain to be central motifs, which begin "bleeding into the surreal".][ Bodies and shadowy figures have unreal, distorted physiques – featuring excessively long, flowing limbs – a common characteristic to find in ]Surrealist
Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...
art.[ Her settings are also seen as recognizably Surrealist in their vast, empty yet familiar nature.][
]
Technique
Kashiki uses various painting mediums including acrylic, pastel, color pencil, and others.[ In some recent works, she has painted directly onto wooden panel.][ Since her graduate training, Kashiki began following a complex, ritualized process of her own.][ First sketched in pencil, her works are painted in ]acrylic
Acrylic may refer to:
Chemicals and materials
* Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound
* Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity
* Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosett ...
, layer by layer onto a linen
Linen () is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant.
Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also ...
cloth mounted on large Chamfer
A chamfer or is a transitional edge between two faces of an object. Sometimes defined as a form of bevel, it is often created at a 45° angle between two adjoining right-angled faces.
Chamfers are frequently used in machining, carpentry, fu ...
ed wooden boards.[ Compositions are structured with overlapping, receding facets as she paints, sands and carves the surface of the panel, then repaints and pounces,][ layer over layer.][ This multi-step process has been seen as a physical articulation of Kashiki's own fleeting impressions – the "flickering", fleeting landscapes of emotions and memories in her mind.][ In this way, Kashiki's paintings have been considered "a manifestation of erinner landscape".]
References
Further reading
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External links
Tomoko Kashiki
at Ota Fine Arts
Tomoko Kashiki
at Asiart Archive
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kashiki, Tomoko
1982 births
Living people
20th-century Japanese painters
21st-century Japanese painters
20th-century Japanese women artists
20th-century Japanese artists
21st-century Japanese women artists
21st-century Japanese artists
Artists from Kyoto
Kyoto City University of Arts alumni