Japanese printmaker Hiroshi Asada was born in Kyoto in 1931. Born into a family of painters who practiced traditional Japanese art (Nihonga), the young man quickly abandoned this complex and restrictive technique to devote himself to oil painting in the tradition of the Western masters - under the influence of Shinseisaku Kyokai. After studying economics at university, he didn't feel ready to make a living from his art, and worked as a clerk for several years in his hometown. In...

• Back to Artists & Stock Read biography ARTIST ALARM

  Biography of Hiroshi Asada

  Japanese printmaker Hiroshi Asada was born in Kyoto in 1931. Born into a family of painters who practiced traditional Japanese art (Nihonga), the young man quickly abandoned this complex and restrictive technique to devote himself to oil painting in the tradition of the Western masters - under the influence of Shinseisaku Kyokai. 
  After studying economics at university, he didn't feel ready to make a living from his art, and worked as a clerk for several years in his hometown. In 1962, he decided to devote himself entirely to his artistic practice, and the following year made his first trip to Europe. In 1971, he finally settled in Paris, where he joined the Friedlander studio and trained in intaglio engraving. Influenced by Informel art, he went on to produce a number of highly poetic engravings in a surrealist vein. In his work, Hiroshi Asada deals with the psychology of everyday life, through still lifes, with a touch of surrealism.Following a long illness, he left Paris in 1983 and returned to Japan. He became a professor at Kyoto University of the Arts (until 1985). In 1997, the artist committed suicide in his studio at the age of 65. Ten years later, in 2007, on the anniversary of his death, a major retrospective of his work was held at the National Museum of Modern Art in Kyoto (MOMAK).Hiroshi Asada's etchings demonstrate great technical mastery in their refined, rigorous execution. His images reflect a dramatic conception of the universe expressed through organic elements, in compositions marked by the influence of surrealism. His imaginary still lifes feature recurring elements such as feathers, small colored spheres, wood and water, often treated as droplets. Through the representation of these fragments of the world, the artist creates dreamy landscapes with a sensitive aesthetic, expressing intimacy and secrecy. Hiroshi Asada's etchings and paintings give the impression of a vision, a dream in which hope has fled.The art of Hiroshi Asada, who has invested his whole body and soul in his work, is an attempt to explore another side of the world.
  

  

  You wish to be alarmed for any new work by this artist? Please enter your email.

  I have read and accept the website mchampetier.com's Confidentiality and personal data protection charter.

  Alarm me