Oil on canvas

130 x 97 cm. 51 1/8 x 38 1/4 in.

Signed “Shichinohe” on lower left

Exhibited：
Omega Algea， Tokyo， Japan， Collection of Girl’s Portrait， April 3-15， 2012；
Sansiao Gallery， Tokyo， Japan， Hommage， 1 October - 2 November， 2016.

Provenance：
Private Collection， Asia.
Samsiao Gallery， Tokyo， Japan.

Among other contemporary Japanese artists， Masaru Shichinohe has a unique creative style. His works are easily differentiated from the ‘Superflat’ and mainstream ‘Kawaii’ aesthetics， providing another interpretation to contemporary Japanese art. Emphasising the use of space， Shichinohe’s art weaves both surrealism and literary narrative， employing elements such as fire hydrants and watches to create an eccentric， magical atmosphere. The application of imagination and space is associated with the artist’s experience as a professional architect. Shichinohe graduated from the Musashino Art University majoring in Architecture， and worked for an architectural firm for three years before giving up his job to become an artist. He once talked about his career choice and his pursue of pure art： ‘Gradually， I succumb to the idea that “architecture is massive destruction”， and I lose my passion for it.’ That said， many of Shichinohe’s works show the concept of space， adding logical sense to his wildly creative works.
Shichinohe spent 10 years to prove himself as a professional painter. In 1994， the 10th year of his professional career， the artist held his first solo exhibition in HB Gallery， Tokyo， and subsequently in Japan and Taiwan. From 2000， his creative style has constantly been morphing. Instead of limiting to using a few iconic elements， he now adopts a wider point of view in his art， emphasising the relationship between man and space， and between the concrete and the abstract. Through precise depiction of objects， the artist creates an invisible tension， attempting to render a hidden meaning： There is an invisible rule behind every simple object. With an architect’s mind， Shichinohe creates seemingly ‘insensible’ art.
Shichinohe’s Praying Girl （2012） is one of the largest in size among the artist’s works in the market. In the painting， the girl is on her knees， her palms together in prayer near her lips， seemingly whispering to herself. Art critic Huang Ya-chi once noted： ‘The hands of boys and girls depicted by Shichinohe deeply fascinate me... They look small and stiff under Shichinohe’s rendition， and mostly thin and old. I am reminded of those hands depicted in tempera painting in the Gothic era； they are aged and breathing death.’
Though the Praying Girl is in her youth， the art itself conveys anything but ‘young and lovely’. The praying form of the girl is associated to German artist Albrecht Dürer’s famous Self Portrait with Gloves， which became popular due to flourishing Christianity during Renaissance. Using this classic element as the theme of Praying Girl， Shichinohe， in his surrealist style， opens a door to the peculiar world for the viewers and shows his fascination with religious alter pieces from the mid-century Western world. The girl looks outside of the painting helplessly， her eyes showing confusion underneath her iconic bangs， her slightly raised brows conveying tension. Despite her chiseled facial features， the girl has a round face， wearing her hair in the style of a student and cotton clothes， all of these characteristics of a typical Japanese girl， thus creating a contrast.
The black and white marbled floor is another icon of the artist. The bold colour and depth form a spacious stage area， highlighting the drama and theatrical air behind. The fire hydrants are also symbolic - the rusted surface and the chains around the girl signify the situation she is trapped in. The painting conveys a quiet， suffocating feeling， and the praying hands are virtually the faithful girl’s attempt to redeem herself.

Price estimate:
HKD： 700,000 - 1,000,000
USD： 90,100 - 128,700

Auction Result:
HKD: 826,000