Waves and Plagues The Art of Masami Teraoka

by Howard A. Link

Waves and The Art of Masami Teraoka introduces an artist of singular imagination. Teraoka depicts the dramas of contemporary life, enlivening them with expressive details and nearly clandestine thoughts. Forty-four of the artist's challenging, meticulous, and intelligent paintings are presented in full-color illustrations. The Contemporary Museum in Hawaii and Long Beach Museum of Art in California had exhibitions in 1988 and 1989.

Genres: Art, Japan

86 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1988

Reviews

[Meghan Fidler · Rating 4 out of 5]

Masami Teraoka's art is a force which quickens my heart and makes me stand for hours, staring, peering closer into brushstrokes and trying to decipher hidden meanings. I have long been a fan of his tremendous skill--one poster from his AIDS series was my first exposure, and even in reprint as a flyer for a show I never knew I missed, I was hooked. I am extremely grateful to find an art book which showcases some of his work, elucidates some of Teraoka's life and play on traditional forms. While the commentator/author of this book does his research, I found some of his descriptions off-color. No one cares, dear sir, how you imagine you could paint a scene in Teraoka's style. Stay on target, focus on your subject (not your own artistic ego).

[Nish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teraoka is a really gifted artist who freely borrows from the past in the ukiyo-e woodblock style and combines it with Pop Art to produce a weird, unique hybrid. As a US citizen residing in Hawaii, much of his themes deal with the intersection of Japanese and American culture. As a result, many themes have a shared symbolic registry: "catfish, trickster fox, ghost, snake, ninja, samurai, geisha, Adam, Eve, punk rockers, television, and London buses." There is a Voltaire like criticism of the indulgent pleasures of the floating world under the totalizing logic of globalization where elegant geisha's nibble on grotesque McDonald fries. In addition, there are commentaries on environmentalism, octopus bestiality, and ocean prints in his works. Good stuff.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Worked on a documentary of this artist in 1993. Very powerful work.