I feel that my artworks are a bit different from others placed in the museum. I use real materials (such as sand) and paste them on. So in that point of view it does leave a question as to if it is a realist painting or not. Like, is this a painting?
In another way of thinking, when I think about realistic painting, I feel that a lot of us living this moment tends to have this importance to something like photography or movies.
Being so, the realistic paintings are starting to be more photo-like and how real they are drawn. That ends up with realistic paintings being a copy of a photo. That's not a bad thing but I feel that, that becomes far from a sense to feel the essence of the motif. You can't feel what is there and more from it just by looking at a photo.
Capturing the essence that you can't see from looking at photography
Ryo Shiotani
Born in Tokyo, 1975. Musashino Art University Oil Painting Major, after graduating study abroad in Italy. Assigned to Agency for Cultural Affairs Emerging Art Overseas Training in Florence.
Member of Niki-kai. Professor of Kyushu Sangyo University Faculty of Arts, Adjunct instructor of Nihon University Faculty of Arts.
Toshihiro Ohata
Born in Shimane Prefecture in 1960. Completed graduate school at Tokyo University of the Arts. Illustrated the newspaper novel "Tengai no Hana" (written by Tomiko Miyao) (1996).
Received the Hakusuikai Award (1988) and the Minister of Education's Encouragement Award for his first exhibit.
Kanji Maeda Grand Prize Exhibition Semi-Grand Prize (2001). Received the Prime Minister's Award at Hakujitsuten (2007). Currently a member of Hakujitsukai.
Fumihiko Gomi
Born in Nagano in 1953. Graduated Musashino Art University Faculty of Art and Design, Oil painting Major
2005 Hakuchikai Prime Minister's Award. 2018 MEAN Hoki Museum Exhibition.
Delicate and detailed still image paintings to abyss landscape paintings, novelty portraits. Always searching for new ways for realistic painting.
The character and a word "sha" has "shajitsu" meaning realism, "shasei" meaning sketch and "shai" meaning intenshion. Also, "shashin" meaning photography is a fusion of a word "sha" which is sketch in this case and "shin" meaning reality. Realistic paintings will allow to show the conceptual message and figure of an essence of the motif but there is no need to follow any rules to draw any shapes.
All in all and in the end, what's important is what you feel from your eyes. Picture is something you see, something visually but what I am trying to focus on is what you will feel and be left with impressions with quality essences. When I see pictures from the past, such as MonaLisa, I'm left with different feelings every time. I don't know if I can but I set that as my goal when I draw.
Feeling it through the eyes
A painter called Hanjirou Sakamoto said, you need to hide yourself to see the real essence. You need to become and feel nothing to see the essence. Selflessness means gazing at things selflessly. This is almost like practicing zen. But you can't draw just by looking at it selflessness.
I always feel and appreciate god for letting me see this view and leading me to a place like this. And one of my themes is to leave that view as a painting with hope.
Gaze it with selflessness and leave appreciation on the picture
I think realism means how much and how far you dig up the real things. A principle of realism, what it means to be real is being realistic. It doesn't always mean photography-like. It means how deep you step into the motif. Understanding the scene selflessness and capturing the situation as well.
For example, in the artwork "View of Kasumigaura", I researched about the quality of the water there and what kind of creatures are living there. If there are trees, what kind of trees grow there, how are the buildings, I try to walk around the area to see. I go there to take a few photos and bring some materials back. Once in a while, I get stopped by the police asking me what I’m doing. But when the motif is big, that's how I do my job.
Step in to capture the reality using hands and feet
The start of an inspiration needs to be myself. I say I need to be selflessness but if I'm not there completely, I can't even be there to accept. So I try to keep myself as clear as possible so when I get impressed or moved by something, I can be able to catch it.
When I meet a view that I'm attracted to, I feel appreciation. And I start to paint it. I do take photos but you can't keep looking at the sun, if you do, my eyes will get burned out. So that's why I take photos. I take that as a record or data and when I'm painting I think about the scent, wind and the flare of a sun.
Always put myself in a situation where I can accept impresion
I like traveling but honestly, I like places around my house. Lately I've only been drawing around my house.
What I mean is I feel that I need to be used to that place to paint. For Example, let's say I go to Nara prefecture. Let's say I paint Toudai Temple. But I can't paint it if I don't know the essence and reality.
How many times it has been re-built or what kind of method is being used to build it. I can't draw if I don't know the inside and outside and the essence and reality. It's going to take forever if I start to collect data on the weather of Nara.
Also, basically people tend to react to something that you are not used to. You are most likely to get attracted to something you don't usually see. Such as a stroke of light or some weird construction. People tend to get pulled or get attracted to these things.
Traveling searching for reality
Artist interview
Toshihiro Ohata
Born in Shimane Prefecture in 1960. Completed graduate school at Tokyo University of the Arts. Illustrated the newspaper novel "Tengai no Hana" (written by Tomiko Miyao) (1996).
Received the Hakusuikai Award (1988) and the Minister of Education's Encouragement Award for his first exhibit.
Kanji Maeda Grand Prize Exhibition Semi-Grand Prize (2001). Received the Prime Minister's Award at Hakujitsuten (2007). Currently a member of Hakujitsukai.
You might think this is weird but the view I like doesn't mean the view I want to paint. Therefore I don't paint views of Italy. The views of Italy are something that I admire. I like it, I paint it but I can't feel the depth in it. It makes me think about the reason to paint.
I always tend to come back to these feelings that I'd like to gaze at something really deep. Something near me, around me. Very personal and what is in my daily life. So I end up looking at things around me that are close by.
Since it became hard to go on a trip overseas, I am starting to see Japan more than before. In the near future, I'd like to paint them. Lately I've been thinking about the southern areas of Japan, especially Nagasaki, Kumamoto. I'd like to take my time and go around Japan.
What I want t paint is a moment that is acknowledging something from daily life
Toshihiro Ohata
Coming Soon
Ryo Shiotani
Born in Tokyo, 1975. Musashino Art University Oil Painting Major, after graduating study abroad in Italy. Assigned to Agency for Cultural Affairs Emerging Art Overseas Training in Florence.
Member of Niki-kai. Professor of Kyushu Sangyo University Faculty of Arts, Adjunct instructor of Nihon University Faculty of Arts.
I take my camera with me when I go on a trip. I also take my croquis book with me but it's hard to capture a moment with a croquis book. I do capture a moment on croquis but I think about it over and over again. I think a camera is in need.
When I go on a trip, I'm waiting and craving for a moment that would take away my heart. When I get the chance to see that moment, I see that in myself again and again to feel that I am completely "touched" by that moment. Then finally I will start to paint it.
Not only once. I have to go there and feel myself being touched and impressed many times. After feeling it many times, I will paint what is left in me. I think about right and wrong, if it is right for me to make the choice.
Feeling the impressed emotion many times over and over and making that into a painting
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If I have enough time, I want to go to foreign country. Because I'm not used to foreign countries and environment, I will be impressed by any situation. I'm interested in somewhere that has a totally different culture. I want to place myself somewhere that has a deep and dignified culture for a long time and paint there.
I'm talking about Europe, especially Belgium and the Netherlands. I like those areas. Of Course I'm interested in France, Italy and Greece.
I still haven't seen places in Japan yet, and so I'm not sure if I'm able to go overseas.
A place I want to go from here on
