I visited Teppei Takeda’s solo exhibition “Paintings of Painting.” The venue was Maho Kubota Gallery in Gaienmae.
Teppei Takeda, “Paintings of Painting,” MAHO KUBOTA GALLERY
As his first solo show in Tokyo, anticipation had been building considerably.
I attended the opening reception, which drew a striking crowd and was packed to capacity.
Judging solely from photographs, Takeda’s works look like thick, heavily impasto paintings.
You seem to sense the sweep of the brush across the canvas and the weight of paint laid on thickly — but the impression changes dramatically when you view them up close.
Painting for painting 018, 2019, acrylic and oil on canvas, 91×72.7cm
Painting for painting 019, 2019, acrylic and oil on canvas, 91×72.7cmTeppei Takeda, Painting for painting 020, 2019, acrylic and oil on canvas, 91×72.7cm
The works are abstract portraits, all painted on canvases of a fixed 91cm × 72.7cm.
And when you draw your eye closer, the surface reveals itself as far more intricate than it appears from a distance — a fine, meticulous painting rendered with an astonishingly slender brush.
The canvas surface, which seems built up with dense strokes of pigment, is in fact carefully and painstakingly rendered.
Painting for painting 018 (detail)
Brushstrokes that look as if painted in a burst of momentum are, on closer inspection, the product of movements calculated with the utmost care.
The production time is said to be extremely long — around three months per work!
Painting for painting 019 (detail)Teppei Takeda, Painting for painting 025, 2019, acrylic and oil on canvas, 91×72.7cmTeppei Takeda, Painting for painting 027, 2019, acrylic and oil on canvas, 91×72.7cmTeppei Takeda, Painting for painting 023, 2019, acrylic and oil on canvas, 91×72.7cmTeppei Takeda, Painting for painting 028, 2019, acrylic and oil on canvas, 91×72.7cmInstallation viewTeppei Takeda, Painting for painting 029, 2019, acrylic and oil on canvas, 91×72.7cmTeppei Takeda, Painting for painting 026, 2019, acrylic and oil on canvas, 91×72.7cm
By the time of the opening, every work had already sold.
Many collectors could be seen asking to be placed on a waiting list on the spot.
Each work was priced at 1,200,000 yen (excluding tax).
Backyard Works
Beyond the works on the main exhibition floor, three additional pieces were placed in the gallery’s backyard.
Teppei Takeda, Painting for painting 022, 2019, acrylic and oil on canvas, 91×72.7cmTeppei Takeda, Painting for painting 021, 2019, acrylic and oil on canvas, 91×72.7cmTeppei Takeda, Painting for painting 024, 2019, acrylic and oil on canvas, 91×72.7cm
Book Launch Exhibition
At Morioka Shoten Ginza, a book-launch exhibition was being held for a monograph released alongside the solo show.
Sales of the book appeared to be very strong. A large-format poster was also being sold in a limited edition, and those unable to purchase the paintings themselves were snapping them up instead.
Teppei Takeda, Painting for painting 006, 2015, acrylic and oil on canvas, 91×72.7cmThe book had an initial print run of 2,000 copies, while the poster was limited to 60.
I returned several times during the exhibition run, and each visit brought a lot of young women who don’t usually frequent galleries.
Teppei Takeda has also produced floral works in the past.
What kind of work will he show us next?
It was a truly wonderful exhibition.
Teppei Takeda “Paintings of Painting”
前往Teppei Takeda的个展”Paintings of Painting”参观。展场位于外苑前的Maho Kubota Gallery。
Teppei Takeda “Paintings of Painting” MAHO KUBOTA GALLERY
작품은 91cm×72.7cm의 정해진 캔버스에 그려진 추상적 초상화입니다.
그리고 눈을 가까이 대어 보면, 그 화면은 멀리서 볼 때보다 훨씬 치밀하며, 놀랄 만큼 가느다란 붓으로 그려진 세밀화입니다.
물감을 두껍게 얹은 듯 보이는 캔버스의 표면은 실은 하나하나 정성스럽게 그려낸 것이었습니다.
《회화를 위한 회화 018》 ※부분
기세에 맡겨 단숨에 그어 낸 듯한 필치는, 실은 철저히 계산된 정교한 붓의 움직임에서 나온 것임이 느껴졌습니다.
작품의 제작 기간은 극히 길어서, 한 작품을 그리는 데 약 3개월이나 걸린다고 합니다!
