Gallery Kobayashi
I dropped by “Gallery Kobayashi,” a gallery in Ginza 7-chome.
What drew me in was a huge work turned toward the street; captivated, I was practically pulled inside. No one’s solo show was being held in particular—it was a relaxed, open state with works by the gallery’s represented artists simply on display. This kind of atmosphere is pleasant in its own way. I was even able to talk one-on-one and at leisure with the gallerist.
Chisato Tanaka
The work of Chisato Tanaka, who has been on my mind constantly of late.
It’s not just her distinctive characters—the composition, the characters’ expressions, the colors and tones; every rendered detail is intensely emotional.
I was told that her work is being shown in the Philippines and Hong Kong at the same time. Chisato Tanaka is popular overseas as well.
The background is such a clean, deep black that you’d be fooled into thinking, “Is this a black-ground canvas?”—but it’s actually a ground built up from many layered coats of acrylic paint. The application is so flat that even at close range you can’t tell where the brush has been.
Looking at these mysteriously atmospheric characters, you fall into the illusion of having wandered into another dimension.
Her landscape paintings are interesting too.
She seems to paint in oils over an acrylic ground.
And she sometimes layers acrylic paint over parts of it as well. A curious tone is reproduced as a result.
Works List
At my request, the gallery staff kindly let me see the list of works currently available for purchase.
The lineup starts from smaller pieces, which makes it intriguing. Nor did the price range strike me as particularly high. It’s nice that the prices are shown framed & tax included.
Looking at the list, you can see that a great many works are held, from tiny No. 0 pieces all the way to No. 500.
