Yielding Form
そりのあるかたち
- Birth Year
- 1931
- Death Year
- 2023
- Date
- 2017
- Technique, Material, Format
- wood (zelkova)
- Dimension
- 210.0 x 62.0 x 38.5 cm
- Donor name
- Mr. Sumikawa Kiichi
- Category
- Sculpture or Three-dimensional Work by Japanese Artist
- Inventory Number
- 2020-SJ-001
The wooden sculpture stands unexpectedly upright. It seems like the wood has been cut in the most natural of shapes. Sumikawa Kiichi believed that all trees have their own “personalities,” and he carved a shape as though in dialogue with a tree’s “voice.” He pursued his Yielding Form series after starting to focus solely on wood in the 1970s—having earlier commenced his career making figurative sculptures in clay and then experimenting with stone, metal, and plastic. For Sumikawa, these gentle curves echo the foothills of a mountain, the back of a Japanese sword, or the overhanging rooves of shrines and temples; they represent a link with the traditional Japanese landscape and culture.
(HASEGAWA Tamao)