「洋’ 灘’ 日’ 與雕塑」

出身於日本神奈川縣的桑久保徹，2002年自多摩美術大學（Tama Art University）畢業後，獲東京都現代美術館（Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo）「Tokyo Wonder Wall」肯定

2011年獲《每日新聞》絹谷幸二三賞、2012年上野之森美術館獎勵賞（VOCA Encouragement Prize）等，足跡遍及亞洲、歐洲等地。

Toru Kuwakubo was born in Kanagawa, Japan, and graduated from the Oil Painting Department at Tama Art University in 2002. He has received the ‘Tokyo Wonder Wall’ award sponsored by the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo, the VOCA Encouragement Prize sponsored by The Ueno Royal Museum in 2012, and the 3rd Koji Kinutani Prize in 2011, etc.

戲劇中的繡花 An Embroideress at Play(2012)
油彩於畫布 Oil on canvas
162.0×194.0cm / 63.7×76.3inches

床單上的女人們 Women on the sheets (2012)
油彩於畫布 Oil on canvas
130.5×324.0cm / 51.3×127.5inches

海邊的男孩們 The Beach Boys (2013)
油彩於畫布 Oil on canvas
182.0×228.5cm / 71.6×89.9inches

「當代藝術裡的繪畫容易受制於批評，不過假使如此，什麼又稱作當代藝術呢？藝術自然是無以名狀的，但不仍然存在許多所謂以語言為根的當代藝術創作嗎？在追求藝術的過程中，『繪畫』是我與人群接觸最自然的形式。」談及創作，日本藝術家桑久保徹這樣詮釋了自己與繪畫的親密關係。
“Painting can be subject to criticism in contemporary art but if so, what is contemporary art anyway? Art is naturally indescribable, but aren’t there so many contemporary works rooted in ‘languages’? In pursuing art, I thought painting was the natural form for me to interact with people” says Toru Kuwakubo, a Japan contemporary artist.

拿著鯛魚的男人1 A man with a sea bream I (2013)
油彩於畫布 Oil on canvas
40×33.1×4.9inches(含框) / 101.7×84.2×12.5cm(framed)

拿著鯛魚的男人2 A man with a sea bream II (2013)
玻璃、油彩於畫布 Oil on canvas, glasses
33.4×29.6×3.6inches(含框) / 85.0×75.3×9.2cm(framed)

愛德華·孟克工作室 Edvard Munch’s Studio (2015)
油彩於畫布 Oil on canvas
181.8×227.3cm / 71.5×89.4inches

隕石Meteorite(2016)
油畫與畫布 Oil on Canvas
45x38cm / 18x15inches

初次見到桑久保的繪畫創作，許多人可能會想起文森．梵谷（Vincent van Gogh）或是保羅．高更（Paul Gauguin）等印象派畫家，大膽鮮明的色彩效果、引人入勝的光影變化，確實能夠自其作品裡看見印象派的基本繪畫特點。不過即使如此，桑久保並非流於複製歷史畫派風格、仿效既有的創作技法與模式，反而認為在現實中加入藝術家個人的想像與生命經驗，才是他真正的創作軌跡。如何利用自己的語言表達一種情緒、一個瞬間，是將藝術真正落實於創作時的無限自我反問。舉例來說，日本311大地震之後，人們總是懼怕地震帶來的破壞與災難，許多生命也因此沉寂海嘯之中。桑久保選擇從另一個截然不同的視角，重新閱讀地震後的日本社會與自然環境，創作系列以生命的起源－海洋為主題的畫作，「母親的觀察 Study of Mom (2011)」更拿下2012年上野之森美術館獎勵賞。

At first glance of Kuwakubo’s paintings, many people may think of Vincent van Gogh or Paul Gauguin. We can see the basic characteristics of Impressionism through his paintings, including the bold color and the emphasis on accurate light changing; even so, Kuwakubo still adds personal imagination and experience into his creation, instead of just emulating techniques and models of any specific style. How to express the emotion with one’s own language? It is a question that can be asked by oneself repeatedly while carrying out the art creation. After Tōhoku earthquake in Japan in 2011, for example, most people were afraid of the destruction and the disaster caused by earthquakes. Numerous lives were taken in the tsunami soundlessly. Unlike other people, Kuwakubo chose to peruse the society and the environment in post-disaster Japan from an entirely different perspective. He worked on a series of paintings regarding “the ocean”, which revolved around the theme of “the origin of life”. “Study of mom (2011)” was also selected to win the VOCA Encouragement Prize sponsored by The Ueno Royal Museum in 2012.

阿爾伯托·賈科梅蒂工作室，斯坦帕 Alberto Giacometti’s Studio, Stampa(2017)
油彩與畫布oil on canvas,
112.5×145.5.0 cm / 44.3×57.3inches

桑久保的繪畫無疑是一幅幅精緻耀眼的傑作，但或許能夠自私地將其想像成一面鏡子，相互映照觀者與藝術家的生命，成為畫布上絲絲入扣的每一筆觸。此外，桑久保也時常藉由繪畫質問藝術家創作的本質，真實與虛幻之間該如何取得平衡？疑問與動機反映在畫布上的，是短而急促的油畫筆觸，藏著扎實顯見的色彩細節，形成濕潤而豐富的紋理。有趣的是，強烈力道筆法所組織建構起的，在整體精神與視覺的感受卻是溫柔而綿密的，像是一段來自奇幻世界的故事，在現實生活裡被娓娓寫下。

Kuwakubo’s paintings are delicate dazzling masterpieces. However, perhaps it can be considered as a mirror, reflecting the life experiences between the viewers and the artists and then becoming every stroke on the cannas. In addition, he often questions himself about the nature of creating art. How to achieve equilibrium among the illusory and the actual world? All questions are turning into short rapid strokes, detailed color appearance, and rich texture. The most interesting fact is that although the painting is completed in a strong way, we can still feel the warm, tender, and gentle spirit in the whole scene, like a fantasy story happening in the reality.