Filters
1973
Lee U-fan came to Japan in 1956. While studying philosophy in the literature department of Nihon University, he also studied Japanese-style painting. His work was unique for the time since it was neither traditional Japanese-style painting nor avant-garde.
At the late 1960s some artists started to make art with natural materials like stones, wood, and earth or industrial materials like steel plates, glass, and paper, leaving the materials unchanged. He wrote and provided theoretical support for this artistic movement known as the Mono-ha (School of Things). His theories were critical of Western thinking based on the central position of human beings in the world and an opposition between human beings and the world. He undertook the mission of making art that goes beyond the ordinary boundaries of art, accepting and revealing the conditions of the world just as they are.
Lee's work was not created from nothing. It was made of already existing stones and steel plates. It explored the relationship between these things, between the things and the place, and between the things and the viewer. In painting, Lee saw the canvas as field. He started by making clear brushworks that leave traces of physicality (gesture) in "From Point" and "From Line", culminating in the "Correspondences", which make effective use of resonant empty space.
Lee's ideas were based on Western philosophy but also influenced by the Japanese philosopher,NISHIDA Kitaro, and the cultural situation of Japan.
1936-
| Genre | Paintings |
|---|---|
| Material/technique | Mineral pigment on canvas |
| Dimensions | 127×182cm |
| Acquisition date | 1979 |
| Accession number | 1975-00-0557-000 |
| Name of Donor etc. | Gift of the Artist |
1977
1977
1974
1977
1977
1977
1977
1979
1977
1979
NAKAMURA Hiroshi
1973
MURAI Masanari
1973
ANZAI Shigeo
February 26, 1973
FUKAZAWA Shiro
1973
MURAI Masanari
1973
LEE Ufan
1973
David HOCKNEY
1973
YOSHIDA Katsuro
1973
ASADA Benji
1973
KOMAI Tetsuro
1973
