Sea and Sunshine

1934　Oil on canvas
162.0cm x 130.8cm

MIGISHI Kotaro

1903, Hokkaido – 1934, Aichi

During the early Showa era (1920s-1930), Japanese artists sought new advances in their own Western-style painting as they absorbed new trends in Western art. Migishi was a painter instrumental in establishing Japan’s avant-garde art world as he followed these trends and developed his own painting style. In his late period, he produced a series of paintings evoking poetic sentiments, with butterflies and shells as their most important motifs.
This work is among them. Sky, sea, sand, scattered shells, and a nude woman with her face concealed are depicted with bright colors and simplified forms. Dark shadow on the sand show the presence of intense sunshine. Migishi published a poem, “Butterflies and Sea Shells (visual poetry),” reading in part: “An ocean breeze / The light was pink / A body the color of butter / Red nipples swollen as pomegranate / Tusk shell, razor clam, slow-going shell) / Begin life from nothingness / What living-life is / the white tactile impression of Italian flannel / Jealousy.” Migishi called paintings visual poetry and included literary elements in them. Some of the images from this poem appeared in this painting, Sea and Sunshine.
This painting, full of poetic fantasy, is a prime example of his work presenting his inner visions, which flourished after he had absorbed European Surrealism in the late years of a life cut all too short.