《Red curtain (tromp l'oeil)》 1970

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.