[Audio Guide]
On a black surface, three identical shapes (one red in the middle, flanked by two white) are lined up in a row. On top of these is paint poured and mixed together on the canvas to compellingly dramatic effect. The complex bleeding of the paint contrasts with the simplicity of the background shapes. Motonaga Sadamasa began pouring paint onto canvas after experiencing unplanned paint overflow when experimenting with a Nihonga (Japanese-style painting) technique that utilizes bleeding effects. He produced works by first laying down shapes, and then pouring prodigious quantities of paint of various shades onto a slightly tilted canvas. On the canvas unfolds a struggle between the artist’s intent and the chance outcomes of the paint’s materiality. This approach of harnessing material properties and coincidence is in line with what artists of the Gutai Art Association, of which Motonaga was a member, sought to do during this period.
