I saw the “Taro Okamoto” exhibition currently being held at the Aichi Prefectural Museum of Art.
The real purpose of the day was to see “Van Gogh Alive,” which I had heard had a good reputation, but when I got there, I found that it was so fast that it broke my record for the fastest viewing time in the history of art exhibitions (?). I finished it so quickly that I broke the record for the fastest viewing speed in the history of art exhibitions (you can guess how I felt about it). So I decided to go to the “Taro Okamoto” exhibition, which I had planned to visit at a later date, in a hurry.
In other words, I wanted to overwrite my memory.
As for myself, Taro Okamoto’s writings came before his paintings, and I have always been encouraged by the words in his books such as “Have poison in yourself” and “Embrace solitude in yourself”.
For example, he wrote
For example, “You should do what you have to do with the intention of showing the world how great your determination is, which surpasses what the world has considered to be your ability or talent. For all the years of giving up and taking the safe path, for all the years of giving up and taking the easy way out, you will be left with the regretful thought that if only you had done what you wanted to do instead of giving up, you would be left with regretful regrets. That is so boring. There are no individual differences. People are either determined to do something or they are not. That is the only difference.
Taro Okamoto. Challenge your destiny (p.9). Seishun Shuppansha Co.
Like the following.
Despite my admiration, I have not been able to see an exhibition of Taro Okamoto’s work for a long time. This time, I finally had a chance.
Art = omnipresence = the present moment
Based on these keywords (my interpretation), all the works exploded. As Taro Okamoto always said, “Art is something you live for with your whole being on the line.
I am a complete amateur when it comes to painting, and I am only a viewer, so I am not familiar with the technical aspects of the art.
So, in the end, what were my impressions? Well, it broke my viewing time speed, surpassing that of Van Gogh Alive, which I had been to just before.
Was it boring?” No, it wasn’t. It was the opposite. I was very impressed. Especially with regard to the plastic arts. Quite a bit.
This is not limited to art exhibitions, but in my case, when I am moved, whether by a movie or a live performance, for some reason I can’t stand still and my creative juices flow, and I have a habit of wanting to go home, even if only for a second. In other words, what I see acts as a catalyst and ignites a fire in my body.
Anyway, I want to be alone as soon as possible, even for a second, to organize and put into words what I have just felt. I could not stop that urge again today.
So, even though I paid a modest amount of money for the two art exhibitions, I ended up seeing them in less than an hour in total (what a waste of time).
There are art exhibitions in the world that make you want to appreciate one piece at a time, but there are also exhibitions that make you feel itchy and want to do something immediately after seeing them, and the “Taro Okamoto Exhibition” was the latter.
After visiting two exhibitions in one day, I found out something unexpected.
The speed of viewing the “worst art exhibition” and the “most emotional art exhibition” are the same as a result. So, a new rule was born today.
See you soon.
