photo: SAIKI Taku
Vase, ”Morning Calm,” inlay
| Artist | NAKAGAWA Mamoru |
|---|---|
| Year | 2000 |
| Material/ Technique | bronze, silver, gold, copper |
| Size/ Duration | H23 × W29 × D20cm |
| Copyright Notice | © NAKAGAWA Mamoru |
| Year of acquisition/ donation | 2000 |
| Description | Born in Kanazawa, Ishikawa, Japan in 1947. Lives and works there. After graduating in 1971 from Kanazawa College of Art where he studied industrial design, Nakagawa Mamoru worked as an industrial designer, entrusted with the design of new products. In 1974 he returned to Kanazawa where he began an apprenticeship with the ‘Kaga-zogan’ (inlay) artist TAKAHASHI Kaishu, devoting himself to learning the subtle techniques behind Kaga-zogan, which makes full use of ‘hira-zogan’ technique, or flat engraving. Relying on his experience as an industrial designer, Nakagawa handles the entire process from the design of the vessel to the inlaying. The gradations he achieves by making use of the subtle differences in the colors of metals broke new ground in the world of Kaga inlay where monochrome works were the mainstream. In 2004 he was designated by the Japanese government as an Important Intangible Cultural Property. "Vase, 'Morning Calm,' inlay" features a design representing a calm sea made by lost-wax casting gold, silver, and copper over the top of a double inlay of plate copper and plate silver on a vessel cast from ‘Oboro gin,’ an alloy peculiar to Japan made by combining copper and silver at a ratio of three to one. On the organic form of the body, which has a beautiful silver grey luster, the different shades of the sunlight striking the surface of the ocean in the morning calm are skilfully depicted using metallic lost-wax casting and gold inlay, which emit different light. As well, the gold line inlay displays an almost painterly depth and sense of rhythm that contrasts pleasantly with the silver grey vessel. Fleeting phenomena in the landscape and the passage of time are accentuated, giving rise to a sculptural realm that resonates with the scenery in our mind’s eye. |
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.