"It was the cave paintings of Lascaux and Altamira that brought about the greatest change for me." As Emi Kinuko thus recalled, her encounter with cave paintings in southern Europe in 1954 brought about a decisive change in her art. The encounter forced the artist to ask the fundamental question, "What is art?" From then on, hieroglyphic shapes began appearing in her paintings in place of people or landscapes. For Emi, this was the beginning of a long period of experimentation with abstract art. Abstract painting was attracting a lot of attention at the time. In 1958, Emi became the first Japanese woman to participate in the renowned international art festival the Venice Biennale.
(KATADA Yuko)
"It was the cave paintings of Lascaux and Altamira that brought about the greatest change for me." As Emi Kinuko thus recalled, her encounter with cave paintings in southern Europe in 1954 brought about a decisive change in her art. The encounter forced the artist to ask the fundamental question, "What is art?" From then on, hieroglyphic shapes began appearing in her paintings in place of people or landscapes. For Emi, this was the beginning of a long period of experimentation with abstract art. Abstract painting was attracting a lot of attention at the time. In 1958, Emi became the first Japanese woman to participate in the renowned international art festival the Venice Biennale.
(KATADA Yuko)