S., Tokyo | Purchased: Suda Kokuta, “Artichoke”
Above: Suda Kokuta, “Artichoke”. Below: at S.’s home, standing on an easel.
Above: Suda Kokuta, “Artichoke”. Below: at S.’s home, standing on an easel.

The Suda Kokuta has arrived. Thank you. It is as good as I hoped.

It has tempo; the growth in it seems to push out not only past the canvas but past the frame as well. The colouring is dark, but the darkness is exactly what holds that energy together at the right pitch. It makes getting up in the morning a pleasure. I feel strength coming off this picture.

What I go by when I choose a picture is imagining the background of the person who painted it: what sort of life they led, what was in their mind while they were painting. If there is something there I can share, then I want the picture near me.

And then I live with the picture and take strength from it.

In that sense there is a great deal of power in this one, and I am glad of it. Every day I look at it and it gives me strength.

From SHUKADO

S. first wrote to us through the website with a question about the condition of the work. He then came to the gallery, liked it very much, and decided to buy it.

This is an unusually large oil painting for Suda Kokuta. It was not cheap by the standards of his work, but the picture itself is very strong. S. is particular about condition, and it seems to have passed his eye. Thank you.

We intend to go on giving Suda Kokuta’s work our full attention.