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Rie Yasugi: This is an oil painting of the Buddha statue of Senju Kannon Bosatsu.
Buddha’s calm atmosphere is flowing out of the flame.
53 pictures are hanging here.
NHK’s art gallery has just started Sougen-kai Ehime brunch’s [Art exhibition] today.
Sougen-kai is one of the oldest art groups.
which is descended form of Nitten, the famous Japanese art group known for realism.
Today, the leader of this group, Mr. Ryouon Watanabe is here.
Good morning, Mr. Watanabe.
Mr. Watanabe has been in this group for 40years.
This group’s motto is drawing outside.
What is the effect of these art expressions?
Mr. Watanabe: The light and wind which the artists feel directly in the outdoors are represented in their pictures.
I want everyone to feel that light and atmosphere.
Rie: We are able to feel what the artists felt through their senses via the paintings, aren’t we?
How is this delivered to us?
Let’s go to see the pictures!
Here is a picture of a winter flower.
This color of red is so beautiful!
This flower is the Yabu camellia, the flower of our city of Matsuyama.
The flower really seems three-dimensional in this picture.
Did the artist also draw this outside?
Mr. Watanabe: Yes, according to the artist, Mr. Kanbe, he drew this by standing an easel in his backyard.
The highlight of this painting is that he made back dark to make the flower brighter.
Also, to express the dignified mood of the camellia, he drew it strongly by using a painting knife.
Rie: The dignified elegance can be demonstrated by the technique of using a painting knife.
Let’s go to see the landscape portrait.
Hundred of rice fields are drawn very precisely in this picture.
It is beautiful the way the water reflects the evening glow!
Mr. Watanabe: The artist, Mr. Kawabata, is the oldest member of this group, He has been drawing for 50 years.
He drew this from the mountain of Kaminada looking down below toward the sea coast.
Rie: Kaminada is in Futami town, right?
Mr. Watanabe: Yes,
The best point is that he successfully drew the complicated structures
and also unified them by using the same color as a compositional unifier.
Rie: That’s why he used this sunset color as the overall hue.
According to the artist’s story I heard yesterday, he wants everyone to notice this part.
If you tilt your face to the left,
you will find the Buddha’s robe’s pleats, He imagined the pleats when he painted,
Like that, painters put their own feelings or image into their pictures, don’t they?
Mr. Watanabe: Exactly, artists use several eyes to see the scenery, using imagination, association, and creativity in their paintings.
If you find those kinds of images, you can enjoy the pictures more deeply.
Rie: Ok, then, the next one is Mr. Watanabe’s picture.
You often draw pictures in Towon city, don’t you?
Here it is,
Mr. Watanabe: Yes, I’m living in Towon city, and there are lots of beautiful places: mountains, towns, fields.
so I often go out to draw with the easel,
Rie: Is this place your neighborhood?
Mr. Watanabe: Yes, this is East Valley, which is seen from the east side from my house.
This picture is about the scene of June, they are preparing to plant rice by irrigating the field.
Through the brightness of artificial roofs of the houses and the freshness of young leaves.
I wanted to express the atmosphere of early summer.
Rie: The air saturated with light and air in the picture overflows to us.
Finally, let me ask you about the attraction of painting.
What point of painting appeals to you?
Mr. Watanabe: While immersing myself in search for beautiful things for painting inspiration.
I can forget Worldly things.
For example, because we are realists.
when it snows, I go out to see the snow climbing up to the mountain.
and when the flowers bloom, I go out to see them in the river to draw.
Additionally, I also enjoy the process of creating paintings by using oil paints and water-colors.
Rie: There are two main attractions for you to paint, the joy of discovering aesthetic things when you go out.
and also depicting those findings by paint brush, right?
Thank you very much for today,
You can enjoy this art exhibition at the art gallery on the first floor of the NHK building until this Sunday.
Please come by all mean�