| commentary | Toward the end of his life Nambata Fumio turned out a stream of images characterized by aquatic motifs and an almost abnormal crystallization of spirit. “On the Lake” is one example, featuring a small boat bobbing on a swelling lake. Floating in the sky alongside plants and heavenly bodies are the head of a youth that seems to be Fumio himself (pale-faced, and likely wearing a necktie), and a woman of equally pale countenance, with dark eyes. Coupled with the vivid, intense colors, these images give the work a disquieting air of urgency. The year he painted “On the Lake” the artist noted, “People die, I too will die. Gazing at the ocean I think of those who perished there, and feel a longing to do the same. And the loneliness there, the human feeling of isolation. [...] I hope always to value the poetry that lies in artworks.” (FO) |
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