With the hint provided in the title, it’s easy to recognize the large “S” shape as the hook on a crane, and yet the next question occurs immediately. We’re used to seeing painted depictions of what’s in the title, but this is a large S-shaped board hanging by what looks like a large screw, with a blue disk dangling at the bottom. It’s more like a sculpture that has been molded from a real crane. So is it a painting or a sculpture, or is it maybe just an object?
In prewar days, Saito Yoshishige had his art refused in both the painting and sculpture sections of an art association show. Blurring the division between painting (something that is flat) and sculpture (something that is three-dimensional), this work is an example of his lifelong interest in challenging existing values and accepted norms.
(SAKAMOTO Kyoko)
With the hint provided in the title, it’s easy to recognize the large “S” shape as the hook on a crane, and yet the next question occurs immediately. We’re used to seeing painted depictions of what’s in the title, but this is a large S-shaped board hanging by what looks like a large screw, with a blue disk dangling at the bottom. It’s more like a sculpture that has been molded from a real crane. So is it a painting or a sculpture, or is it maybe just an object?
In prewar days, Saito Yoshishige had his art refused in both the painting and sculpture sections of an art association show. Blurring the division between painting (something that is flat) and sculpture (something that is three-dimensional), this work is an example of his lifelong interest in challenging existing values and accepted norms.
(SAKAMOTO Kyoko)