《Red curtain (tromp l'oeil)》 1970
《Red curtain (tromp l'oeil)》 1970 61.0x50.0cm Oil/Canvas
This work is Eikichi Iwata's first trompe l'oeil work. It all started with
a single letter. The sender is Henri Cadiou (1906-1989). He was the leader
of a painter group called “Pintre de la Realite”, aiming to restore realistic
paintings to the present age, and as part of that, he had presented many
works of trompe l'oeil. After seeing Iwata's work at “Societe nationale
des beaux-arts” exhibition, he wrote to Iwata saying that he would like
to participate in his own group.
“Trompe-l'œil” is generally translated as trick art in English, and refers
to paintings that use an expression technique with calculated illusion.
It is a historical painting style that can be seen in primitive forms such
as the ancient murals of Pompeii, but it is a field that is often misunderstood
because even illustrations that only enjoy illusions advocate trick art.
Although Iwata was strongly sympathetic to the idea of “Restoration of
realistic painting for the modern era,” he seemed to be a little reluctant
to work on trompe l'oeil at first.
In fact, the essence of trompe l'oeil is not a “trick”. Iwata carefully
selects objects, arranges them in a theater-like space, depicts them in
minute detail, constructs a unique pictorial world, and brings to light
the theme of the production. The painting style of trompe l'oeil is extremely
suitable for the world that Iwata is aiming for. Since this work, 17 trompe
l'oeil Iwata's works have been published in art books, etc., and have become
pronominal existence on his lifelong painting career.
As the title suggests, this work depicts a “curtain” that frequently appears
in European classical works. Drawing curtains is not only based on the
old custom of mounting paintings and the effect of increasing mystery,
but also has a trick effect that does not look unnatural even if the work
is viewed from a slightly oblique left or right perspective. , It also
incorporates the effect of evoking associations with hidden things. In
addition, the curtain in the foreground uses a reddish (advance type) color,
which plays a part in the perspective expression.