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Akira Tanaka (1918–1982) The Peasant and his Donkey Oil on c…
See original version (French)
20
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Akira Tanaka (1918–1982) The Peasant and his Donkey Oil on c…
See original version (French)
Estimate €2,000 - €3,000
Voluntary lot
Description
Akira Tanaka (1918–1982) The Peasant and his Donkey Oil on canvas, signed lower left, 92 x 73 cm A Franco-Japanese artist, Akira Tanaka moved to Paris in 1959, at the age of 40. He quickly became a leading figure in the École de Paris and took an interest in art brut, which he adapted through a highly personal style. Rather than depicting the capital’s monuments or tourist attractions, Tanaka chose to paint the everyday lives of Parisians and, more broadly, working-class France, which became his main source of inspiration.
His painting, which is both naturalistic and socially engaged, focuses particularly on ordinary people – those who, in his view, ‘do not wear a mask’. He thus depicts Parisians, as well as Spanish, Portuguese and Italian immigrants, workers and passers-by… Through these scenes of everyday life, the artist seeks to capture the authenticity of his characters and to reveal a social reality often far removed from traditional depictions of Paris.
Tanaka attaches particular importance to the face, which he regards as a direct reflection of the human being. As he explained in 1973: ‘First of all, one must have sympathy and curiosity for human beings as such, and it is only from there that form emerges.’ He added that ‘the face is an essential element’ in his work. To capture this authenticity, the artist spends long hours wandering the streets of Paris and country roads, closely observing the expressions, gazes and facial gestures of workers. His work is thus rooted in direct observation of reality and a genuine curiosity about human beings.
See original version (French)
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Pictures credits: Contact the Auction House
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