慶應義塾大学アート・センター　Keio University Art Center

It is only when you take into account "volume" and "line" that you start to need a brain.　　　
"Volume", and especially "line", are products of the imagination.
--Tosio Arimoto, The Goddesses, Bijutsu Shuppansha, 1981, p. 57.

      The new exhibition series “Artist Voice” intends to host intimate exhibitions which allow us to intuit an artist’s raw voice and utterances by taking advantage of the distinguishing features of the facility as a small, standalone exhibition space.
      The second exhibition of this series features drawings by Toshio Arimoto. It is well known that Arimoto admired the Renaissance paintings, especially those of Piero della Francesca and incorporated them into his own art, but his drawings are almost spared from the viewer's eye. In particular, his sketches and esquisses, which are not drawn as genuine artworks but are only dessin of an object in front of him, or directly connected to the creation of his tableau, have rarely been exhibited. However, a drawing is the first time an artist expresses a concept in his mind to the real world, and it can be said that it is a purer expression of an idea than a finished work. In a sense, it is a medium that allows us to get closer to the essence of the artist than paintings.
      If you look at Arimoto's drawings displayed in this exhibition, you will notice a great variety of artistic worlds. His drawings are not reproductions of objects, but rather they are more in the vein of Renaissance drawings, seeking intensity and volume in the lines. And for him, as the text quoted above shows, it was this "line" and "volume" where the artist's imagination is essentially required.

      Arimoto's pursuit was to create "a picture in which the music seems to float in the air, as if you can hear the harpsichord's tune out of nowhere as you look at it." The works in this exhibition can be compared not to the music held in a concert, but the music played by an artist who enjoyed playing the baroque recorder in his studio, following only his heart. We invite you to listen to the tranquil music that fills the exhibition room.

Poster DL
DM DL

Instagram　Facebook