PRESS RELEASE
Hiroshi Sugito: New Work
3 – 30 April 1997
Artist reception: Thursday, 3 April, 5:30 to 7:30 pm
Anthony Meier Fine Arts is pleased to introduce Hiroshi Sugito’s paintings. A newcomer on the scene, Sugito, 26, splits his time between the United States and Japan. His vignettes colored with yellows, reds, oranges, greens and blues on pale backgrounds narrate stories of flotillas of battleships, squadrons of warplanes, and large edifices under assault. The nuance of color and form suggest child-like innocence, but his deft ability of placement and line dispel any accidental composition.
References can be traced to Robert Ryman, Agnes Martin and the traditional Japanese Nihonga style. The Nihonga style evolved as a result of the introduction of the western aesthetic in Japan during the second half of the 19th Century. Sugito’s paintings, like the Nihonga artists, incorporate many trends and traditions ranging from monochrome ink painting to colorful wood block print making.
The stories depicted in Hiroshi Sugito’s paintings have universal references; yet it is his unique mix of western and eastern aesthetics which allows him to articulate his imagery in such a personal manner.