I visited Naofumi Maruyama’s solo exhibition.
While many of his works are marked by a rich, varied use of color, this exhibition was ruled by a monotone world rendered in a single shade of gray.
What is truly astonishing is his production technique. He wets the canvas and lays it flat on the floor.
He then draws his brush across it with acrylic paint. The water-soaked surface is dried, and the same process of layering is repeated over and over.
The number of layers varies from work to work, but some pieces are said to involve as many as ten repetitions — a truly stunning process.
The finished works felt as though they had completely mastered and taken control of the complex relationship between paint, water, and canvas.
Move in as close as possible to a work and you can see the smooth, spreading flow of the paint. Step back into the wide gallery space and you will be struck by the depth of this technique.
The shimmer of the water’s surface, the expressions of the clouds, and even the movement of the drifting air seem to reach you directly.
I was simply overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of the works.
Please refer to the interview video below.
*You can see the actual production process from around the 4-minute-30-second mark.
