Acrylic on paper

110 x 80 cm. 43 1/4 x 31 1/2 in.

Provenance：Acquired directly by the present owner from the artist；Private Collection,Japan.

Toshimitsu Imai
Toshimitsu Imai moved to Paris in 1952 and became the first Japanese artist to engage in Art Informel,which conquered Europe in the 1950s. In 1957,he invited Michel Tapié,advocate of the art movement,Sam Francis and Georges Mathieu to Japan,thus bringing together Gutai Art Association and its European counterpart. Extremely sensitive to colors and forgoing rigid forms and figures,Imai created art full of fluidity,transcending geometric effects.
The 60s witnessed Imai at his creative peak. His early works were marked by the influence of Art Informel,full of improvisation and explosive vigor. The Fire of Victory is archetypical of the period with its unbridled brushstrokes and intense,conflicting colors. With forceful gestures,Imai made lengthy splashes with yellow-orange paint on a black background before dribbling it in red. The inverted triangle resembles an erupting volcano that breaks a silent night. The tension in the abstract and rhythmic lines fully embodies the spirit of the 60s：mentally aggressive and pining for spiritual emancipation.
Atop the red and yellow lines,two green,concentric circles lend a hint of composition and focus. They seem to be a calming force amid the burning colors,pacifying the unrest in the cosmos. Reminiscent of those of Yoshihara Jiro,the circles are a spiritual combination of the Eastern Zen tradition and Western artistic expression. The composition,which is almost identical to that in Victory（1963）,shows the repeated experiments Imai had conducted and the value he attached to it.
Tatsuta River（Red）（1986）signifies the artist’s return to the origin of Japanese art to eschew formalism. Tactfully adopting traditional aesthetics and techniques from the Heian period,his insights into the relationship between man and nature,and traditional Zen philosophy,Imai founded a new artistic vocabulary. His works from the 80s often feature floral or scenery designs on kimono against a golden or silver background,thus providing a clue to the changes in Imai’s path. Relieved of the rashness of the earlier stage,the motifs exude breeziness,as if the artist had masted the wind.
The two sides with a silvery white background and a low-relief texture form a stark contrast with the animate orange patch in the middle,which juxtaposes with a dark blotch at the bottom. The composition is rhythmic and seems to extend beyond the paper. The whole painting is flecked with golden flower clusters,a traditional,Japanese fabric print,as if the river’s surface is glistening from the sun’s rays. Inspired by traditional patterns and harmony between man and nature,Imai found a new way to interpret Art Informel and portray the landscape of Tatsuta,overcoming the bottleneck in abstract expressionism.

Price estimate:
HKD：280,000 - 380,000
USD：36,100 - 49,000

Auction Result:
HKD: --