Liangshan Marsh Expansion

Liangshan Marsh 

梁山泊

Artist
SHIRAGA, Kazuo
白髪 一雄
Birth Year
1924
Death Year
2008
Date
1967 
Technique, Material, Format
oil on canvas 
Dimension
181.0 x 305.0 cm 
Category
Oil or Other Painting by Japanese Artist 
Inventory Number
84-OJ-022 

Shiraga Kazuo is known for creating art by smearing paint on paper or canvas with his feet. This method of directly capturing the traces of human movement was a new approach to painting that appeared around the world in around 1950. This painting shows a further development, dating from the period when Shiraga began using skis and a spatula to apply paint. It is characterized by fan-like shapes made by moving a board or spatula like a windscreen wiper. Meanwhile, the title Liangshan Marsh refers to an area where the outlaw heroes of the Chinese Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) novel Water Margin gather. The artist’s aesthetic did not shy away from bloodiness, cruelty, or violence, and here it is discernible in the use of bright red color, the depiction of intense movement, and the work’s title.
(HIBINO Miyon)

TAKE A CLOSER LOOK: “Liang-shan-po” by Kazuo Shiraga (video / November 2021)
This unique video series deliberately includes no commentary, allowing you unimpeded enjoyment of artworks from the Yokohama Museum of Art collection in detail-rich close-up and from new angles.

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