photo: SAIKI Taku
Myself Portrait 01
| Artist | SAITO Makoto |
|---|---|
| Year | 2006 |
| Material/ Technique | acrylic and oil ink on canvas |
| Size/ Duration | H196 × W155.8cm |
| Copyright Notice | © SAITO Makoto |
| Year of acquisition/ donation | 2012（購入年月日：2012/03/16) |
| Description | Born in Fukuoka, Japan in 1952. Lives and works in Tokyo. Saito Makoto has been involved in graphic design since the 1970s, drawing attention from the outset in Japan and abroad for works that have won him numerous awards in Japan, Europe, and North and South America, reflecting the impact he has had on his times in the field of design. Along with his design work he has been seriously engaged in painting since the mid-1990s. The critic ASADA Akira has described his expressive approach as “true computer painting.” The paintings he produces using this approach reflect his perceptive views of contemporary society. Saito employs an original method using the computer as a brush to boldly deconstruct images. He remembers at an early age being taken by his father to movies, and the series of fragmented images he saw in scenes of the films. He converts those images by superimposing 300 or more layers onto them, causing their particles to break up, dissolve, and lose the contours and facial expressions that identify individuals, thus transforming the figures into curious fluid-like bodies. The body of work in the museum’s collection represents Saito’s first such endeavor. The series is based on a scene from a movie by François TRUFFAUT, into which the artist has imposed his own figure. The expression of the young man staring forward in "Myself Portrait 01" is difficult to read, but it projects a disquieting atmosphere and a strong sense of solitude. The negative form of the same image appears in "Myself Portrait 02", suggesting its potential for taking on multiple forms. Extracting the emotions inside human beings in this way, he attempts to reveal an image of a new human being. |
NOTES
This Collection Data page contains the works and materials in the collection of 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, as of April 1, 2018.
Artists are listed alphabetically by artist’s surname.
Works and materials by the same artists are listed according to the date of the work in principle.
Works whose dates are unidentified are listed at the end of each item. Some works are not listed according to the date of work due to their relations.
The data of works and materials are listed in order of title, production year, material/technique/form, dimensions, donor’s name, copyright holder and credit for photograph.
Dimensions are given by height (H) x width (W) in centimeters for plane work, and height (H) x width (W) x depth (D) in cm for 3-D work. Diameter (Ø) is used for circular work.
For the name of country or city, the name currently used in English is listed in principle.