I think I have a new favorite Japanese artist. His art is fantastical, erotic, grotesque and not for the squeamish puritan.
Takato Yamamoto’s style impresses a cross between traditional Japanese woodcuts and early 20th century Art Nouveau artist Alphonse Mucha. They both portray graceful contours and swirling compositions with subjects of fantasy. Mucha’s Moon also comes to mind as you notice the lunar body appearing in many of Yamamoto’s prints. However, I doubt if Mucha ever got into bondage much.
There’s something wonderfully dark in these pictures, ranging from the subtly sexual to the downright macabre. Vanitas such as skulls, severed heads, bound young girls, flowing streams of arterial blood, and vampirism seem to be common occurrences. In fact I first came across this artist when I stumbled on a vampire painting (above) serendipitously; immediately came to mind my own vampire painting which is almost the same.
Biblical themes are seen in Yamamoto’s work as well including Salome who, in the New Testament, is described as the embodiment of female seductiveness and treachery, leading to the death of the Baptist. Above we see her holding the head of the saint against a blood red moon. Then there’s Saint Sebastian, the “penetrated saint,” who appears several times in several morbidly provocative ways.
Takato Yamamoto began his career experimenting with the Ukiyo-e Pop style of woodcut prints, and eventually started his own style called Heisei Esthiticism. His first exhibition was in Tokyo in 1998 and has enjoyed several since. I’m certainly going to keep a look out for more of this intriguing artist.
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