Okada studied in Paris in the 1920s, and after returning to Japan, attracted attention for his paintings of groups of sophisticated-looking women and urban landscapes. After the war, he traveled to the United States in 1950 seeking a new direction for his painting, and he was praised there for abstract paintings that were seen to capture the “spirit” of Noh theatre. This work is representative of his pre-America output. According to Okada, after preparing the canvas, he first arranged several planes of color, all slightly brighter than mid-tone. These planes would then serve as inspiration for a theme. In this work, the technique has been used to depict a group of clowns and dancers.
(KASHIWAGI Tomoh)
Okada studied in Paris in the 1920s, and after returning to Japan, attracted attention for his paintings of groups of sophisticated-looking women and urban landscapes. After the war, he traveled to the United States in 1950 seeking a new direction for his painting, and he was praised there for abstract paintings that were seen to capture the “spirit” of Noh theatre. This work is representative of his pre-America output. According to Okada, after preparing the canvas, he first arranged several planes of color, all slightly brighter than mid-tone. These planes would then serve as inspiration for a theme. In this work, the technique has been used to depict a group of clowns and dancers.
(KASHIWAGI Tomoh)