“A Christmas of Giving Art as a Gift” was held at GINZA SIX.
It was a project featuring one-of-a-kind artworks for sale, and among them, the works that truly stood out were two pieces from painter Masato Kobayashi’s “Model of the Star” series.
18 x 14 x 4 cm, oil on canvas with wooden stretcher, 2016
Though small in scale, these are characteristic works by Masato Kobayashi, painted directly by hand rather than with brushes.
I have not seen it personally, but apparently he also assembles his own supports. The support on the left, “Model of the Star #39,” is quite mysterious: a canvas is affixed to a board, with nails piercing it here and there in a way that defies explanation. Normally a canvas is fastened to the stretcher from the back, but here it seems to be fastened from the front…
Some passages of the paint are applied thinly, while others are laid on thick—a whole world compressed into a small canvas.
I found myself thinking, “Take me home!” but then hesitated when I saw the price. Works by an artist of such renown do command high prices, on an entirely different order from those of younger artists.
Even so, as I kept looking, it felt as if countless somethings had been embedded within the surface, giving rise to an almost dizzying sense of elation.
I only recently learned that Masato Kobayashi is a professor in the Department of Painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Tokyo University of the Arts, and that he was the mentor of the young painter Atsuko Yamashita. Looking at her work, one can feel his influence.
I am a great fan of Atsuko Yamashita’s work and collect her pieces, so I was seized with a strong desire to hang Masato Kobayashi’s work beside them. I hope one day, after saving enough, to add one to my collection…
