Lot 177
  • 177

YOSHITOMO NARA | Winter Long

Estimate
200,000 - 300,000 GBP
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Description

  • Yoshitomo Nara
  • Winter Long
  • signed and dated 99 on the reverse 
  • acrylic and coloured pencil on paper
  • 51 by 36 cm. 20 by 14 1/4 in.

Provenance

Michael Zink, Regensburg
Acquired from the above by the present owner in 1999

Exhibited

Brussels, Centrale for Contemporary Art, Private Choices, November 2017 - May 2018

Literature

Yoshitomo Nara, Ed., Yoshitomo Nara: The Complete Works, Volume 2: Works on Paper, Tokyo 2011, p. 139, no. D-1999-006, illustrated in colour

Condition

Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are fairly accurate, although the overall tonality is slightly richer in the original. Condition: This work is in very good condition. The sheet is float mounted and undulates slightly. Close inspection reveals a horizontal crease across the centre of the work.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

Winter Long is an exquisite example of Yoshitomo Nara’s career-long engagement with themes of innocence and solitude that define the essence of childhood. Exquisitely rendered in harmonious colours of acrylic paint and pencil, the present work has an enchanting dream-like presence. In an immediately recognisable style, Nara creates a ground-breaking dialogue between manga, anime, and Disney with painting techniques firmly based in Renaissance tradition. In 1988, Nara took up temporary residence in Germany to study at Kunstakademie Düsseldorf. The artist´s experience from his studies in Germany compelled him to return to his roots and delve into his native culture. The result is his idiosyncratic portraiture style which is an amalgamation of western classical technique and Japanese Ukiyo-e composition. In Winter Long, the face and the body of the subject receive a flat treatment. This style of rendering and the reduced composition evokes the format of manga. In the late 1990s, Nara departed from the bold outlines and the highly vibrant palette that characterised his early works and turned his attention to iconic techniques and compositions from art history. The present work is an early example of the nuanced style later distinctly associated with Nara; the character exudes an air of poetry and the use of pastel colour and meticulous brushwork is an homage to the artist’s favourite Renaissance works. Nara has explained his connection to prominent art of the past, “I’ve learned a lot from Renaissance fresco painting; I especially love the translucent colours of Giotto and Piero della Francesca. The surface texture of fresco painting contains a space that I can enter easily” (Midori Matsui, Yoshitomo Nara, Index Magazine, Spring 2001, online).

The poetic tranquillity emanating from Winter Long is characteristic of Nara’s highly personal creative oeuvre. His portraiture style actively addresses issues ranging from appropriation and representation to popular culture, style, and tradition. In the present work, the artist depicts his most important archetype; the lonely child. The subject is highly self-reflective. During his youth in the rural Aomori Prefecture of Northern Japan, Nara was largely isolated and left to his own devices. The solitude and independence he experienced have filtered into paintings throughout the artist’s career. As Nara himself explained in an interview, "They are all self-portraits in a way. But the emotions that I feel can, of course, be universal" (James Lindon, Artworker of the Week #58 Yoshitomo Nara, Kultureflash, 2 February 2006, online).