Mixed media on paper

54.9×43 cm. 21 5/8×16 7/8 in.

Signed in Japanese and dated on bottom right

LITERATURE
1986, Toshio Arimoto Design Collection, Shinchosha, Tokyo
1991, Shizuka Sabi to Shijō—Toshio Arimoto Exhibition, The Mainichi Newspapers Co., Ltd., Tokyo, plate 93
EXHIBITED
26 Jan - 11 Feb 1991, Shizuka Sabi to Shijō-Toshio Arimoto Exhibition, Sogo Museum of Art, Yokohama
11 - 23 Apr 1991, Shizuka Sabi to Shijō-Toshio Arimoto Exhibition, Printemps Ginza, Tokyo
26 Apr - 19 May 1991, Shizuka Sabi to Shijō-Toshio Arimoto Exhibition, Sogo Museum of Art Nara, Nara
31 May - 5 Jun 1991, Shizuka Sabi to Shijō-Toshio Arimoto Exhibition, Meitetsu Department Store Main Store, Nagoya

PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Japan
21 Oct 2017, Tokyo Mainichi Auction Main Sale, Lot 93
Acquired directly by present important private Asian collector from the above

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued by Toshio Arimoto Works Recognition Committee

An Ethereal Hymn Born from a Solemn Place
Angel by the Talented Painter Toshio Arimoto

Toshio Arimoto, a pioneer of Japanese modern art, was born in Okayama in 1946 and studied design in the department of Fine Arts at Tokyo University of the Arts in 1969. Fascinated by the timeless charm of classical Italian frescoes and ancient Japanese art, he incorporated these qualities into his creations. His artistic talent is highly sought after and has won many awards, such as the Special Prize at the 21st Yasui Awards Exhibition in 1978. Like one of his inspirations, Vincent van Gogh, his short but brilliant artistic life ended in 1985, at the age of 38, due to illness.

Toshio Arimoto lived in the latter half of the 20th century when Japan was experiencing post-war social changes and a pervasive atmosphere of restlessness. His works, however, take the viewer back to the sedate and elegant Italian art of the Renaissance and have a soothing quality. It was only after his death that he was discovered by more people. His works have toured many places in Japan, and have been collected by important institutions such as the National Museum of Modern Art in Tokyo. As a representative work of Arimoto, Angel has been included in his major collections twice and was exhibited in the artist's solo exhibition touring Tokyo, Nara, Yokohama, and Nagoya in 1991. It has a well-established provenance which is rare.

Ode by the Holy Angel

In 1971, when Arimoto was given his first opportunity to travel abroad, his first stop was to see the tomb frescoes in Italy. He felt that the frescoes were similar to Japanese Buddhist paintings in some fundamental ways. They have the power to bring peace into people's hearts. Angel is reminiscent of the classic religious motif of the Italian frescoes, the Annunciation, which represents the moment in the biblical story when the archangel Gabriel descends to the earth to announce to Mary that she is having Jesus.

Focusing on the upper body of the angel, Arimoto uses delicate lines to paint the main character's classically beautiful silhouette with a look of concentration and solemnity like a marble sculpture. He paints the soft curls of the angel's hair gently with brown colours like ocean waves. He outlines the angel's silhouette with orange-red brushstrokes, just like the divine light at the moment of the Annunciation. The light orange and yellow colours of the painting are also used to create a mottled, natural, rustic and historical atmosphere like a mural painting. Arimoto's beautiful brushstrokes are a perfect demonstration of the angel's spiritual qualities of solemn and calm. This work is a rare art treasure in this age of impatience, as it leads one to find purity and peace in one's heart.

Price estimate:
HKD 200,000 - 250,000
USD 25,600 - 32,100