Lot 1692: ATSUSHI SUWA

ATSUSHI SUWA
(B. 1967)
Untitled
signed with artist's signature (upper right); signed in Japanese (on the reverse)
oil on canvas mounted on wooden board
60.6 x 91 cm. (23 7/8 x 35 7/8 in.)
Painted in 2008

Rendering his images in hyperrealism, Japanese contemporary artist Atsushi Suwa infuses traditional Western oil painting with new vitality and expression through his skillful techniques of the brush that captures his acute sensations toward life and emotions. Body gestures and expression in the eyes are the key elements in human portraiture. The artist employs delicate brush strokes in his compositions and uses skillful modeling of the human form to render the form and inner psyche of the figure in order to establish resonance with viewers. For Suwa, truthful realism is not merely about perceptive appearance, the artist has to scrutinize and truly understand the body he depicts in order to represent a connection between the individual and the pictorial environment in a genuine manner.

In Untitled (Lot 1692), a work created in 2008, Atsushi Suwa focused on depicting the head and the shoulders of the girl. Suwa brings the subject to life through meticulous rendering of the contours of the girl's face, the texture of her skin, the mole on her shoulder, and her fine, silky black hair. The artist captures the moment when the young girl awakens in the morning, still recollecting the fragments of her dream as she lies in bed. The pink glow of her cheeks emanates a sense of vitality, while her sleepy eyes invite viewers to imagine the thoughts floating in her dream-like world. Suwa portrays the hair of the girl with great movement like a waterfall that defies gravity, which vividly juxtaposes with the stillness of the girl herself. The creases of the bed sheet help emphasize the smoothness of her skin, her youth and purity of her soul. Suwa reveals emotions and energy of life through tactful and realistic rendition of the human form in order to demonstrate his sensitivity towards life and his superb painting skills.