Artist Research:

Daido Moryiama

  • Daido Moriyama was born in 1938 in Osaka, where he studied photography before moving to Tokyo in 1961.
  • Moriyama has been a pivotal figure in post-war Japanese photography, capturing the raw and gritty reality of urban life with a distinct visual style.
  • His work often focuses on themes such as urban alienation, the loss of individuality in modern society, and the impact of Western culture on Japan.
  • Moriyama’s work is characterized by high contrast, grainy, and sometimes blurry images that convey a sense of immediacy and intensity. His style reflects the energy and chaos of the streets he photographs.
  • He was influenced by William Klein, an American photographer known for his dynamic and expressive street photography. Moriyama’s work shares a similar raw and candid approach to capturing urban life.
  • He is known for his use of a 35mm camera, which allows for a more spontaneous and street-level perspective, and his prints often have a rough, unpolished look that adds to their authenticity.
  • Daido Moriyama is an early Japanese photographer known for his contribution to street photography, particularly capturing the essence of postwar Japanese urban life. His work consists of simple, contrasting, grainy black and white images depicting power and crime on the street. Moriyama was a central figure in the “Provocation” movement of the 1960s and 1970s, which sought to offer a new way to express unique and often abstract art. His photographs often explore themes of cities, consumer culture and the human condition, focusing on neglected and threatened societies. With numerous publications and exhibitions around the world, Moriyama’s influence extends far beyond Japan, inspiring photographers around the world with the way he captures the ever-changing forces of modern life. His use of 35mm cameras and bold non-photographic printing techniques ensured that his work is collected by major museums, leaving a legacy in the photography world that is hard to come by.

Kura Chan, 2020/7

  • Daido Moriyama’s black-and-white photography is a testament to his unpretentious and sophisticated style of street photography. Moriyama’s work is known for its Japanese city interior, with high-contrast, sweeping images that create a sense of urgency and urgency.
  • The woman smoking in the picture is a backlit form. The photographer has captured (presumably deliberately) the expression of the woman’s face by not allowing it to be seen.
  • The light gradually progressed and became darker.

 

Richard Long

  • “Richard Long was born in Bristol, UK in 1945 and he lives and works between London and Bristol.” (lissongallery)
  • Moriyama is known for his gritty, raw, and often grainy black-and-white images that capture the urban landscape and the alienation of modern life.
  • His style is characterized by a sense of immediacy and spontaneity, reflecting the energy and chaos of the streets he photographs.
  • Moriyama’s work  explores themes of urbanization,  and the human condition in post-war Japan.
  • His influence extends beyond Japan, inspiring photographers worldwide with his candid approach to photography that captures the essence of a changing society
  • Richard Long was a renowned British artist known for his landscape paintings, sculptures using locally found materials, and landscape studies. His work is characterized by a connection to nature and a minimalist style with minimal impact on the environment. Long Art is rooted in the experience of moving and working in the landscape as it transforms movement into artistic expression through a collection of rocks, sand and other objects based on design and models. His work is documented in photographs because his work is ephemeral and often returns to nature. Paper is important because it allows people to interact with the artwork and make it last longer than the artwork alone. His long-form works have been exhibited in major exhibitions and events around the world, reflecting his contribution to contemporary art periods and the relationship between art and nature. Its use invites the viewer to think about the relationship between humans and nature, highlighting the beauty and simplicity of the object.

  • Richard Long is not typically classified as a photographer in the traditional sense, but rather as a land artist who uses photography to document his interactions with the natural environment.
  • In this photograph, black and white, Long often composes scenes that balance the natural and human-made elements.
  • This work is connected with the natural environment, and through the sense of black and white space, it reflects the loss of nature but retains the most beautiful aspect.
  • The composition of the photograph centers on a circular piece of land art, a circle of stones arranged to create a strong visual focal point.
    The circular pattern sits in the foreground of the image, drawing the viewer’s eye in while directing it outward to the surrounding landscape. Despite being in black and white, through composition and contrast, the work conveys an emotion of serenity and contemplation, inviting the viewer to contemplate the beauty of nature and man’s role in it.
  • In my perspective, this work may be exploring the relationship between man and nature, and the temporary and permanent nature of art in the natural environment.
    The circular pattern may symbolize the universe, the cycle of life, or the order of nature.

 

Reference:

https://www.hamiltonsgallery.com/artists/daido-moriyama/biography/

https://www.lissongallery.com/artists/richard-long