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Giuseppe Arcimboldo <Vertemus / Rudolf II>
c.1590 Skokloster Castle,Sweden |
From ancient times, a viewer’s visual experience of an art work framed
the work as a re-creation of its subject. The use of various styles and techniques
in art works to create an image of what is not in fact there is intrinsically
linked to visual illusion. Surely the realist expression that seeks to copy nature,
developed in western painting, was born from a fundamental search for visual
illusion.
In the history of western art, the techniques of visual illusion have been adroitly
used in a lineage of art works that contain elements that deceive the eye of
the viewer. A typical example of the artist engaging the viewer’s imagination
regarding his imagery can be seen in the 16th century painter Arcimboldo who
created unique paintings made up of one set of items that appear to be something
completely different. Similarly Erhard Schön’s prints with their distorted
images thrill and surprise their aficionados. The use of the trompe-l’œil
method that blurs the differences between the actual and the reproduced image,
through its investigation of realistic depictions, led to many works in western
Europe and later America, that became an intellectual game, one by which painters
beguile the viewer’s perception.
At the same time, Japanese artists have long created this type of fascinating
image through similar techniques. Whether so-called kakibyoso, in which the distinction
between painting and mounting silk or paper is blurred by painting on the mounting
material itself, or in the group of strangely surprising images produced by the
ukiyo-e artist Kuniyoshi Utagawa, these works all reveal Japan’s mature
visual culture.
These deceptive techniques, not necessarily found in the mainstream genres of
pictorial arts, became the subject of new focus and attention in 20th century
art, a time when such deception developed in surprising and diverse ways. Magritte
made pictures that explored the tenuous relationship between image and reality,
while Dali revived the double image method in contemporary art. And then there
was M. C. Escher, the print artist who pursued the detailed depiction of optical
illusions. With the advances in both photographic and moving image technologies,
the visual image environment surrounding us has undergone, and continues to undergo,
a dizzyingly fast rate of change. In such a contemporary environment, artists
have brought to the fore all manner of new expressive tools, often involving
the manipulation and transformation of images, and the exposure of the false
nature of such images. These and other experiments could be called a new form
of visual play for both artist and viewer.
This exhibition will look back at the history of deceptive expression in art
works, tracing the classics in the style, while also displaying representative
works by artists working in the diverse forms of deceptive expression found in
the modern and contemporary eras. Through a dynamic, change-filled, historical
perspective, the exhibition will provide an opportunity for the consideration
of the endless fascination with visual deception and the relationship between
the viewer and visual imagery.
Finally, we would like to take this opportunity to express our heartfelt appreciation
to all those collectors both in and out of Japan who have graciously lent their
precious works for display, and our deep gratitude to all those individuals and
organizations who have contributed to and sponsored the realization of this exhibition.
The Organizers |
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