Work II (Primary Title)
Akira Hasegawa, Japanese, born 1925 (Artist)
In 1964 the Corcoran Gallery in Washington, D.C., held an exhibition entitled Contemporary Japanese Painting, which was part of a series of shows intended to present the “manifestations of modern painting” on an international scale. Works by eighteen Japanese painters little known in the United States were selected, with a particular focus on artists who combined abstraction with Japanese traditions. Work II was featured in the exhibition, as it suitably used humble materials “to createa harmonious design out of strange mixtures,” according to the curator. Hasegawa emphasized the wood support beneath the painting by drilling holes through the panel. He also built up the surface with layers of paint that were scraped and pushed, revealing traces of layers underneath.
Showa period (1926-1989)
Gift of Mr. Fred Palmer
©artist or artist’s estate
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