Japanese Oil Painting, ‘Four Faces’, Takahashi Yoshikazu, 1983

Monumental Japanese oil painting, attributed to Takahashi, dating to the 1980s. The composition is built up around a group of archaic-looking figures inspired by Japanese haniwa terracotta funerary sculptures, including a horse and several stylised human forms. The title on the label on the reverse is read as ‘Four Faces’, which corresponds beautifully with the layered and rhythmic structure of the image.

Dimensions without frame: height 130.5 cm, width 97 cm, depth 3 cm. Dimensions with frame: height 148.5 cm, width 115 cm, depth 8 cm.

The oil paint is applied heavily in impasto, with pronounced palette-knife texture, built-up layers, and a strongly tactile surface. The muted palette of grey-green, beige, soft pink, and brown gives the work a calm yet powerful presence. This combination of texture, scale, and archaic visual language gives the painting a strong contemporary value as an interior piece. It works particularly well as a statement piece in a restrained, eclectic, or architectural interior.

On the reverse is an original Japanese label stating that the work belongs to a five-part series, with a name attribution to Takahashi 芳一, an initial date of Showa 58 (1983), and a later notation of Showa 61 (1986), indicating an additional brush reworking. Artist’s signature lower left. The work can also be supplied with a silver-coloured frame if desired (see other listings by this artist).

The painting shows normal, honest signs of age and use, consistent with the work and the period.

Shipping & pickup: pickup in Antwerp possible; worldwide shipping on request.

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