V isceral, daring and strikingly elegant, Kazuo Shiraga’s Ranmaru, created in 1986, is a striking embodiment of the artist's continued exploration of the relationship between movement and emotional complexity. Pulsating with passionate energy, the artist employs a bold palette dominated by his favourite colour — red, intertwined with strokes of black and touches of vibrant yellow, creating an alluring tension that draws its audience into a dynamic visual dialogue. Produced in the mid-80s when Shiraga returned to feet paintings in his re-experimentation of materiality and gestural abstraction, Ranmaru demonstrates a more restrained and composed form compared to the artist’s earlier works while maintaining the essence of physical painting with its dynamic momentum and sinuous brushwork, revealing an introspective depth through an interplay between chaos and control.

Shiraga hosted his first major solo museum exhibition at the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Modern Art in 1985. The following year in 1986, the artist travelled to Europe for the first time, coinciding with the historical exhibition, Avant-Garde Arts of Japan 1910-1970, which took place at The Centre Pompidou in Paris in the same year as a monumental display of Japanese modern and contemporary art on an international stage. It was in that same year when the striking Ranmaru was produced, testifying to a pivotal period for both the artist and the revival of Gutai. The present painting was subsequently displayed in the artist’s hometown at the Amagasaki Art Association Exhibition in December 1987, the same year he was awarded the Hyogo Prefectural Cultural Prize.

About a decade before the creation of Ranmaru, Shiraga lived as a Buddhist monk at the Enryakuji-Temple at Hieizan Mountain in 1971 under the Buddhist name, Sodo Shiraga. As a member of the Tendai order, the artist emphasised the realisation of spiritual enlightenment through physical experience. By incorporating bodily elements in his creative process as demonstrated in the present work, Shiraga, in his own words, allowed the expression of seisin (the spirit) to be contingent upon nikutai (the body). Demonstrated in Ranmaru, Shiraga physically becomes a conduit for spiritual expression. Employing tachisme, an French 20th-century art movement that centres on spontaneity and action, the artist spreads fresh yellow and red pigment with his feet while black and grey strokes weaved between its wild arcs, reminiscent of traditional calligraphy. As a display of Shiraga’s extraordinary flexibility and strength, the work becomes a striking symphony, through which his artistic prowess transcends from the physical to a meditative spiritual plane.

Shiraga’s fascination with Japanese and Chinese history, literature and spirituality is consistently evident in his motifs, often reflecting themes and figures from Japanese historical and Buddhist contexts. Ranmaru appears to reference Mori Ranmaru, a renowned Japanese general of the Warring States Era who was known for his exceptional talent and handsome looks. It is said that he was unwaveringly devoted to the daimyo Oda Nobunaga both as a leader and a lover, which is reflected in the emotional depth conveyed through Shiraga’s abstract depiction of loyalty, determination, and tragedy. The general is remembered for his courageous act during the Honnō-ji Incident, where he defended Nobunga and ignited the temple upon his death, where he ultimately perished.

As a notable piece in Shiraga's oeuvre from the 80s, Ranmaru not only showcases his evolution as an artist but also serves as a bridge between the immediacy of post-Gutai expression and the enduring traditions of Japanese art. Evoking a visual experience that transcends image to the soul with its boundless energy, Ranmaru embodies Shiraga's ability to encapsulate the complexity of emotion and spirit through the physicality of colour and form.

白 髮一雄的《蘭丸》創作於 1986 年，充滿原始性、大膽且極具優雅氣質，是藝術家對行動與情感複雜性關係持續探索的鮮明體現。藝術家以熱切的活力，運用其最鍾愛的紅色為主調，透過與黑色筆觸及鮮明的黃色點綴交織，營造出一種引人入勝的張力，使觀眾進入一場動態的視覺對話。本作創於八十年代中期，當時白髮一雄重歸以腳作畫，以再次探索物質與姿態抽象之間的互動，因此與其早期作品相比，《蘭丸》富動感的筆勢與流暢的筆觸在保留了行動繪畫的本質同時，亦展現出更為克制與沉穩的氣息，達致在混沌與控制之間展現出內省的深度。

白髮一雄於1985年在兵庫縣立近代美術館舉辦了其首場重要個展。次年，即1986年，藝術家首次前往歐洲，恰逢同年巴黎龐畢度中心舉辦的歷史性展覽《日本前衛藝術1910-1970》，該展覽作為日本現代與當代藝術在國際舞台上的重要展示，具有里程碑意義。正是在這一年，藝術家創作了引人注目的《蘭丸》，本作見證了藝術家個人及其所屬的具體派（Gutai）復興的關鍵時期。此作隨後於1987年12月在藝術家的家鄉尼崎市藝術協會展覽中展出，同年他更獲頒了兵庫縣文化獎。

在創作《蘭丸》約十年前，白髮一雄曾於1971於比叡山延曆寺出家為僧，法號「宗道白髮」。作為天台宗的一員，藝術家強調通過肉身體驗與實現精神覺悟。本作中，白髮一雄將身體元素融入創作過程，如他本人所言，讓「精神」（seisin）的表達透過於「肉體」（nikutai）表現。在《蘭丸》中，白髮一雄的身體成為精神表達的媒介。他更運用20世紀發起，強調自發性與行動的法國藝術運動「塔希主義」（tachisme）手法，以腳鋪展鮮明的黃色與紅色顏料，黑色與灰色線條則在其狂野的弧線間穿梭，令人聯想到傳統書法。此作展示了白髮一雄非凡柔韌性與力量，成為一場引人注目的交響樂，透過其藝術才華從肉體層面昇華至冥想中的精神境界。

白髮一雄對日本與中國歷史、文學及靈性的迷戀，一直體現在其創作主題中，亦因此經常反映日本歷史與佛教背景中的主題與人物。《蘭丸》似乎參考了日本戰國時代著名武將森蘭丸（Mori Ranmaru），他以卓越的才華與俊美的外貌聞名。據傳，他對大名織田信長（Oda Nobunaga）表現出對領袖與愛人的忠厚，這種情感深度透過白髮一雄對忠誠、決心與悲劇的抽象描繪得以傳達。森蘭丸在本能寺之變中奮力守護織田信長，並在他死後點燃寺廟，最終與之同歸於盡，其英勇行為被世人銘記。

作為白髮一雄80年代創作中的代表作，《蘭丸》不僅展示了藝術家個人的演變，也成為具體派後期與日本藝術傳統之間的橋樑。透過其無窮的能量，本作喚起了超越圖像、直達靈魂的視覺體驗，體現了白髮一雄透過色彩與形式的物質性，捕捉情感與精神複雜性的卓越能力。