Yoshitomo Nara (b. 1959)
Portrait of Amelia Earhart
Acrylic on canvas
Picture: 80.5 x 65 cm.
连框: 101 x 86.3 cm.
Painted in 2009
Estimate: HK$28,000,000-38,000,000
When I'm painting faces, it's like I'm talking to myself — it's like I'm affirming my own sense of self.
—— Yoshitomo Nara
The big-headed girl's clear, deep starry eyes unconsciously transport the viewer into a spiritual realm that is constantly changing, unconstrained by time and space—a temple unique to everyone's childhood, full of joy and hope, vulnerability and fear, and everything in between...... Portrait of Emelia Earhart, a rare painting depicted by a real person by Yoshitomo Nara, a representative of Japanese contemporary art, will lead this season's 21st Century Evening Sale in Hong Kong. In addition to the spirit of adventure and children's dreams, the exploration of punk rock and the embodiment of the power of music are also important themes in Yoshitomo Nara's work. The same auction brings one of the rare large-scale classic billboard paintings, "Rock! and a number of wonderful masterpieces - multiple creative mediums and different styles, all of which are projections of Nara's rich heart, revealing its vast and rich spiritual world.
Portrait of Amelia Earhart, created in 2009, is smart, transparent and delicate like a treasure, with a bewildering complexion. The protagonist of the painting is the legendary American female pilot Emelia Marie Earhart, who was born before World War II in the last century, as the first female pilot to cross the Atlantic Ocean alone, Elhart pursued her dream of flying all her life, and wrote many brilliant achievements in the history of aviation in the last century. This work depicts a childhood Elhardt, wearing a pilot's hat and eyes shining with the colorful stars of countless galaxies in the depths of the universe. The work tells not only the story of this American hero, but also the story of everyone's childhood. Earhardt's success, as a well-known figure of his time in the United States, and his subsequent disappearance, echoes Nara's unique multiplicity through his art, which encapsulates multiple emotional tensions in a single figurative image.
People say that the human eye is the mirror of the soul, and I used to draw too casually. For example, to express anger, I draw triangular eyes. My eyes were visibly angry, and I projected my anger and vented some pent-up emotions. [Later] I started to want to express complex feelings in a more complex way.
—— Yoshitomo Nara
Quote from "Interview with Yoshitomo Nara"
By the time he created this work, Nara had mastered his kaleidoscopic approach to eye painting. In this work, there are no longer the props and everyday objects that often appeared in his early works, such as cigarettes, knives, flashlights, etc., and the picture becomes pure, with lines and colors blending in, creating a sense of profundity.
The penetrating and magical eyes of Earhart in this work are inescapable, reminiscent of fairy tales or dreams, but at the same time feel unattainable, suggesting the helplessness of reality. Whether as a "dream perspective" or as "another unconscious eye", the power of Nara's cosmic eyes is perfectly embodied in "Portrait of Emelia Alhart". Through the legend of Earhart, Nara conveys surreal dreams of children and adults.
Yoshitomo Nara (b. 1959) "Portrait of Amelia Alhart" (detail)
This season's Hong Kong Spring Auction will also present Yoshitomo Nara's masterpiece "Rock! 》。 The bright orange picture is spelled with a bright red rock slogan "ROCK YOU!" The work brings a rhythmic visual impact to the viewer, which is direct and eye-catching. As one of the artist's rare large-scale classic billboard paintings, "Rock! depicts a classic squint-eyed girl in Nara with a bandage on her head and an emerald green dress standing behind large letters, her determined and rebellious expression instantly mesmerizing. Created in 2006, the legendary exhibition "Nara+ Graf: A-Z" held at the Yoshii Shuzoku Shory Warehouse in Aomori Prefecture, Nara's hometown, marked the connection of Nara's artistic practice with the local community and the ensuing fandom.
When I'm drawing, the music comes into my ears and comes straight out of my hands.
—— Yoshitomo Nara
Yoshitomo Nara (b. 1959)
Rock! 》
Acrylic boards
162 x 162 cm.
Painted in 2006
Estimate: HK$20,000,000-30,000,000
In the mid-1970s, as a young man, Nara was fascinated by the liberal atmosphere of punk music. Rock! The solitary girl and the composition that resembles the cover of a rock album are all details that perfectly convey the rebellious atmosphere of Nara's art. For Yoshitomo Nara, "punk" is not only a subculture, but also an artist's declaration of rebellion against social norms. A thin red line outlines the girl's pursed mouth, echoing the sonorous and powerful phrase in front of her, as if taken from a lyric from a rock song, expressing the unspoken feelings of rebellious youth. Rock! It is not only an epoch-making work of Yoshitomo Nara's artistic journey, but also a beacon of hope that guides the confused hearts of many people.
This work is a continuation of Nara's usual style of painting that uses simple and direct images and words to create emotional resonance, and it is also a perfect example of the artist's mastery of working with ready-made materials such as billboards and wood. The large-scale application of monochrome paint not only highlights the texture of the wood itself, but also adds a sense of space to the seemingly ultra-flat composition. In addition, the layout of the text and images also shows the artist's ingenuity in the spatial sense of graphic design. In a retrospective of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Yoshitomo Nara, a special exhibit of more than 300 vinyl records from the artist's private collection occupies an entire room, illustrating the inextricable connection between pop culture and the aesthetic of record sleeves and Nara's unique artistic language.
21st Century Day Sale - More by Yoshitomo Nara
The 21st Century Day Sale, which opens on 29 May, will feature more works by Yoshitomo Nara, including masterpieces from the artist's collection, as well as images of big-eyed girls and smart kittens from different periods.
Yoshitomo Nara (b. 1959)
Pond Girl
Oil on canvas
72.7 x 60.6 cm.
Painted in 1995
Estimate: HK$2,500,000-4,500,000
Yoshitomo Nara (b. 1959)
"Cat"
Acrylic on canvas
40 x 40 cm.
Painted in 1993
Estimate: HK$1,500,000-2,500,000
Yoshitomo Nara (b. 1959)
A Little Red in the Blue
Acrylic cotton mounted on canvas
30 x 25 cm.
Painted in 1999
Estimate: HK$1,200,000-1,800,000
Yoshitomo Nara (b. 1959)
"Girl with Dark Circles"
Acrylic on canvas
50 x 40 cm.
Painted in 1999
Estimate: HK$3,500,000-5,500,000
Yoshitomo Nara (b. 1959)
"Running Away Alone"
Watercolor, colored pencil, graphite, paper
36 x 22.5 cm.
Painted in 1998
Estimate: HK$900,000-1,500,000
Yoshitomo Nara (b. 1959)
《Peace and Death》
Crayons, charcoal, envelopes
33.6 x 26.8 cm.
Painted in 2003
Estimate: HK$1,000,000-2,000,000