Red Curtain (trompe-l'œil)
赤いカーテン（トロンプルイユ）
- Birth Year
- 1929
- Death Year
- 1982
- Date
- 1970
- Technique, Material, Format
- oil on canvas
- Dimension
- 61.7 x 50.9 cm
- Donor name
- Mr. Sudo Kin'ichi
- Category
- Oil or Other Painting by Japanese Artist
- Inventory Number
- 2000-OJ-002
A set of wooden shelves is depicted in the painting. With a red curtain hanging in front of them, they are captured so realistically they could be mistaken for the real thing. Also present are motifs typical of a memento mori, such as a pocket watch and an hourglass. The work succeeds due to Iwata’s technical mastery of Western classical techniques, which he acquired in France after moving there in 1957.
The French term trompe l'oeil in the title means to "deceive the eye," and it clearly applies to this work. It is thought to be Iwata’s first attempt at a trompe l'oeil painting, and he later went on to specialize in them.
(MINAMISHIMA Ko)