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A seeker after the Oriental mind through the spirit of heaven and earth ─ the Art of Q. Harada
Professor Harada of Nagoya University of Arts is a devout artist who has been expressed the Oriental mind. His expression of the Oriental mind has been distinct by his long years quest for it and has been admired by many art enthusiasts. He visited in China and had some exhibitions of his picture in our country. At the artistic exchange between China and Japan at his exhibition, his art spirit met with the Chinese art public approval.
What is the Oriental mind that he has been searching for? It is the harmony between Heaven, Earth and Man. This harmony is one that the Asian people have been set great value on through their long cultural history. They believe in the harmony, that is, the Oriental mind links Heaven, Earth and Man together and make them exist together harmoniously in the same space. He has been searching for this mind ,‘the place of space’,‘the exchange between man and man’,‘the exchange between man and the whole of creation’,‘the breathing mind of man himself ’,‘ the artist mind and mind rhyme in his art work’ … As a specialist of Qigong he teaches at his classes the traditional Chinese breathing exercise as well as the art technique.
Through his art work he used to try exchanging his mind for the whole of creation. So his art work expresses just the harmony of heaven, earth and man. Professor Harada was born in Ibaragi prefecture in 1946. He majored in the course of oil painting and graduated from the contemporary art at the graduate school of Aichi Prefectural College of Art in 1972. He was greatly influenced by Abstract art and European Abstractionism when he made his debut at the art world in 1970s and 80s. But he had the intention to create the new Abstract art with the Oriental mind as a Japanese artist, he wouldn’t to add any new elements on the expression of Abstract art. He has been respecting the Oriental culture, especially the Chinese traditional culture, so he has continued researching it and tried to get a chance to experience it.
At his first period of career he tried to choose the material for it and to continue studying the coloring and composition, then he painted many kind shapes of tree on his oil painting composition as a kind of correspondence. He also painted the bright color paint on his canvas with the installing sculpture and tried to express powerfully the effect of visual sensation. After 1980s, his art works got the drastic change and started to put the touch and strength of brushing on his canvas compared with his strength of color contrast. . After this period, his painting has been simplified at last.
Since 1990s, his painting more and more simplified to be one element, then in his coloring and solid space, he has been able to express many information by using the fewest visual language, finally his painting has contained more plentiful cultural elements in it. In his painting, we can catch that one abstractive line operates an important correspondence and its line and color constitute a kind of cosmos scene as ‘ Strength’ and ‘ Power’. For example, Heaven, Earth and Man (1993) expressed the violent wide powerful line that divided the space in his painting and expressed the boundary that divides the three realms of existence. So we can feel a kind of mind covered under his composition of painting and the silent exchange with heaven.
In these paintings we cannot find any specific things or hints about our real life. But he explains about this point that you should not understand the real significance about art by your narrow point of view. Because the art works can express the specific object and real significance by itself. In his opinion we can easily catch this kind of understanding on the feeling from great nature if you put out this information from the actuality. He also explained, “I believe that the actuality is the contact and reaction to the consciousness from heaven which we can receive. So Sun, Star, Moon, Globe, Air, Tree, Fire, Earth, Stone, Grass, Flower, Cat, Dog, Insect, and we Human being , that is, all things in the universe are God that we should admit its importance.” He intends to understand the harmony between the universal things and man just same as the relationship between the human being and real life on the earth. So he insists that you must understand the important meaning of real art works.
He has researched on his own art as a mystery of Universe, Earth and Man, so he has tried to get the information from the huge Universe. He insists that the material and violence, which European artists worship, greatly destroy the harmony in the Universe and at last destroy its balance and civilization on the earth. Now he insists, “We, Eastern Asian artists have to rebuild the new philosophy about arts and new our own culture, and we, Eastern Asian artists should not follow up the European value and criteria of arts, so we must keep on the previous Asian mind and develop it more over.” ( cited Rebirth of Reality by Harada ) These continual pursuits lead up foundation of mind in his art world. He got a belief, this mind is the central harmony of Eastern Asian Culture.
Professor Harada is the unique artist who keeps on an independent point of view about art, so his own art work keeps an independent artistic mind. His art work keeps on the simplicity and great mind by his life-long researching, so his art work can shake the spirit of viewer whenever you observe it. Then his theory and practice will be able to inspire you powerfully. We must notice his great effort to make the art exchange China and Japan, especially to contract the treaty between Central Institute of Fine Arts and Nagoya University of Arts as a sister school.
He attaches a great deal of importance to learning from the traditional Chinese culture and watching the development of contemporary Chinese art on these basis. He is a true good friend of Chinese people.
Shao Dazhen
Professor, Central Institute of Fine Arts
Translation
Emi Fujimatsu
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