When we look at a painting showing a human figure, we immediately suppose space surrounding the figure ― above and under, left and right. Based on our normal perception ― with the head at the top and the feet on the ground ― we invent in a moment the three-dimensional space where the figure is placed.

But a painting is in fact a flat surface. If a piece makes visible, at the same time, both the space supposed to surround the figure and the surface of the painting that is actually a flat plane, it will give an impression as if our senses are twisted strangely.

Yorozu Tetsugoro (1885-1927) produced several pieces highlighting the discord between the space with a figure and the flatness of the painting, including Nude Beauty, an important cultural property. With Yorozu’s works as a clue, this show presents 19 pieces from our collection that undermine in various ways the relationships among the space represented by the painting, the flatness of the canvas, and the physical senses of the viewer.

Participating artists:

Yorozu Tetsugoro, Kumagai Morikazu, Ruth Bernhard, Leiko Ikemura

More information: The National Museum of Modern Art Tokyo, Japan

詳細情報: 東京国立近代美術館

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
3-1 Kitanomaru-koen, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 102-8322

tel. +81 (0)50-5541-8600
www.momat.go.jp/english/am/visit/