Acrylic on canvas

22 x 27.3 cm. 8 5/8 x 10 3/4 in.

Signed and dated S. Motonaga ‘ 92 on lower right
Note：This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Motonaga Archive Research Institution.

Sadamasa Motonaga
Being a member of Gutai Art Association,Sadamasa Motonaga was one of the most significant artists in Japanese art circle and made crucial contribution to the development of Post War Contemporary Art. The artist joined the Association in 1955 and reiterated the possibility of employing both natural and industrial materials,such as rocks,water or plastic into their experimental sculptures. His installation work Water,created in 1956 and initially exhibited outdoor,was referred by Yoshihara Jiro,the founder of the association,as the first ever sculpture about water in the world. His works raised further discussion in terms of the site-specific creation and mixture of different medium,which was even earlier than the concept of Land Art. In 2013,Water was exhibited in Gutai：Splendid Playground,at Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum,marking Gutai Art gaining the world attention again.
Sadamasa Motonaga developed his unique approach since 1957,inspired by the traditional Japanese painting technique,“tarasahkikomi”. He dripped or poured the ink onto the canvas without blending them. Adding resin enamel and turpentine,the colours flow in unpredictable way to make spontaneous patterns. By interacting with other elements,ink is playing a game of colour on the canvas. From 1966-67,he was invited for artist’s residence in New York. He started using spray paint to create the gradual colour-changing effect and shapes,inspired by contemporary street art by then. The style of his later works were changed into a warm and humor style as he shifted the interest into children’s book illustration.
In work British Flag is here as well,the artist deploys mixed materials on the card board and spontaneous unadorned mixed lines to present a pattern similar to checkerboard. Paper strips,bits of fibres and cropped images from magazines in different shapes attached together,these materials constitute a unique composition,creating a kind of childlike delights. However,at a close look,the collage itself carries sensible yet bold content for example “artificial insemination”. Motonaga considered this colourful and playful appraoch as “Katachi”,which means using forms and shapes to reflect the sense of complexity and conflicts. He opted to create a childlike world concealing the unsurfaced worries and social issues.
Created in 1992,Right and Left are Red circle square is composed by simple lines and pleasant geometric shapes. The gradual change of purple colour in the background is his signature spray paint approach adopted when living in New York. The feeling of imponderability therefore is conveyed by painting the flying cloud in the skies. In the Centre of the tableau paints a dark cloud with dotted lines simulated the rain. With his childlike spirit,the cloud is personified as a robot stretching arms to bring happiness to the world. He imagines a world full of adorable figures,colourful and varied forms,delivering the feeling of energetics and liveliness. The bold straight line at the bottom of the work however constitutes a force stabilizing the lively composition.

Price estimate:
HKD：80,000 - 100,000
USD：10,300 - 12,900

Auction Result:
HKD:118,000