銅版画45年の追想 ー 初期ロンドン エングレービング
英国滞在中に海を渡り憧れのヨーロッパ大陸の国々を訪れた。
During my stay in the UK, I crossed the sea and visited the continental countries in Europe. In 1977, I traveled to France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. In 1978 I traveled to Greece with friends. I visited churches and museums in each city and looked at the paintings and sculptures and enjoyed my vacation. When I came back to London from Paris, I got some information from a friend, Motoshi Sato who was taking photographs of Londoners. He told me that English artists are looking for an artist who will share in the use of a studio. I immediately made contact with the artists, and went to the city of East London, Wapping. When I got off the underground station, there were heavy brickwork warehouses on both sides of the stone pavement road. Most warehouses were not used, and there were some warehouses which the ceiling had collapsed, and a desolate atmosphere was drifting throughout the small town. Warehouse D was standing in Wapping Wall, where I walked a bit from the station and on the 6th floor was the location of the studio. There was a space as large as a tennis court, the floor was beautifully polished, and the river Thames spread widely under the door behind the room. Judith Lockie who learned woodcut prints in Japan and Ross McCallum who learned ceramic art were living in the studio. They greeted me warmly when I told them that I liked the studio and would like to share it. From the mid-70s, artists were remodeling the warehouse into studios, which were not being used at the time, and then moving into them. I was the first Japanese artist to live in Wapping. The neighboring warehouses were also renovated into studios, and on the weekends there would be a party at some studio or another, and I had a good time interacting with a lot of artists. I met another photographer in London, Setsuo Kato, one day and he came to Wapping and told me that this is a special place, and it is good to leave a record of this town, and he lend me a 24 mm wide Nikkor lens. On a fine weathered day, I attached the high-priced lens to my camera and photographed the warehouses which stand on Wapping High Street following Tower Bridge, and the huge dock ruins with monochrome film. The main photographs were exhibited at Gallery Uesuto in Ginza, Tokyo, in 1996, but some of photos of composition and depth were transformed into engraving work and I energetically produced in the 80s and 90s. By the way, in order to make a certain landscape a printmaking work, sketching on the ground is the basic method, but it is convenient to take picture when it is impossible or time consuming. You can place the details accurately and have a realistic image when you have experiencedseeing the location yourself. In addition, although it is a special case in printmaking, in order to make an actual scene a printmaking work, you have to draw a picture with a mirror image on a plate. You can print a mirror image by turning over negative film when printing the photo. Representing the photograph with a line and printing, it will be the same as the actual landscape. I was interested in old buildings that I should say the past heritage, and why I tried to engrave the decaying scenery, was it posterity? Is it nostalgic? In any case, it is certain that I feel thankful to these things that decay and age over time. I am grateful to them all, and enjoyed the act of engraving the single line one by one, to coordinate with the flow of time.
During my stay in the UK, I crossed the sea and visited the continental countries in Europe. In 1977, I traveled to France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. In 1978 I traveled to Greece with friends. I visited churches and museums in each city and looked at the paintings and sculptures and enjoyed my vacation. When I came back to London from Paris, I got some information from a friend, Motoshi Sato who was taking photographs of Londoners. He told me that English artists are looking for an artist who will share in the use of a studio. I immediately made contact with the artists, and went to the city of East London, Wapping. When I got off the underground station, there were heavy brickwork warehouses on both sides of the stone pavement road. Most warehouses were not used, and there were some warehouses which the ceiling had collapsed, and a desolate atmosphere was drifting throughout the small town. Warehouse D was standing in Wapping Wall, where I walked a bit from the station and on the 6th floor was the location of the studio. There was a space as large as a tennis court, the floor was beautifully polished, and the river Thames spread widely under the door behind the room. Judith Lockie who learned woodcut prints in Japan and Ross McCallum who learned ceramic art were living in the studio. They greeted me warmly when I told them that I liked the studio and would like to share it. From the mid-70s, artists were remodeling the warehouse into studios, which were not being used at the time, and then moving into them. I was the first Japanese artist to live in Wapping. The neighboring warehouses were also renovated into studios, and on the weekends there would be a party at some studio or another, and I had a good time interacting with a lot of artists. I met another photographer in London, Setsuo Kato, one day and he came to Wapping and told me that this is a special place, and it is good to leave a record of this town, and he lend me a 24 mm wide Nikkor lens. On a fine weathered day, I attached the high-priced lens to my camera and photographed the warehouses which stand on Wapping High Street following Tower Bridge, and the huge dock ruins with monochrome film. The main photographs were exhibited at Gallery Uesuto in Ginza, Tokyo, in 1996, but some of photos of composition and depth were transformed into engraving work and I energetically produced in the 80s and 90s. By the way, in order to make a certain landscape a printmaking work, sketching on the ground is the basic method, but it is convenient to take picture when it is impossible or time consuming. You can place the details accurately and have a realistic image when you have experiencedseeing the location yourself. In addition, although it is a special case in printmaking, in order to make an actual scene a printmaking work, you have to draw a picture with a mirror image on a plate. You can print a mirror image by turning over negative film when printing the photo. Representing the photograph with a line and printing, it will be the same as the actual landscape. I was interested in old buildings that I should say the past heritage, and why I tried to engrave the decaying scenery, was it posterity? Is it nostalgic? In any case, it is certain that I feel thankful to these things that decay and age over time. I am grateful to them all, and enjoyed the act of engraving the single line one by one, to coordinate with the flow of time.
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| “Smithfield Market” Trial proof No. 7 7th May 1984 |
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| “Rotherhithe Tube Station” Trial proof No.7 4. Oct, 1984 |
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| “River Side In Wapping” Trial proof No.5 6th Dec, 1984 |
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| “The Inner Temple” Trial proof No.7 30th July 1985 |
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| “Metropolitan Wharf” Trial proof No.6 9th Nov,1985 |
「ENGRAVED LONDON Ⅰ,Ⅱ」画集が出版された1994年、
久保 卓治 1994年
In 1994 when "ENGLAVED LONDON Ⅰ and Ⅱ" portfolios were published, I engraved landscapes of the city where tourists do not often go; so, I wrote a short essay to accompany the portfolio. Pick out a part of it and post it.
久保 卓治 1994年
In 1994 when "ENGLAVED LONDON Ⅰ and Ⅱ" portfolios were published, I engraved landscapes of the city where tourists do not often go; so, I wrote a short essay to accompany the portfolio. Pick out a part of it and post it.
Takuji Kubo 1994
Smithfield Market
もう16年も前のある日、
The time when I came across Smithfield Market, I was just wandering about town. It was sixteen years ago. One day I started to walk from the City holding my camera and I noticed a long building standing along the street. I felt something suspicious and looked into the building. Then I saw a splendid sight! There were hundreds of electric lamps hanging from the high ceilinged building. Huge pieces of meats were hung everywhere and workers were busily caring lumps of meat. I was so excited by this amazing spot that I found my body was shaking. I really didn’t know this was Smithfield Market, the biggest meat market in the world. I wanted to go inside so I went to the office and asked a man to let me in. He gave me permission pleasantly, and I made the impudent request to take photographs. Pointing to my chest, he passed me an official badge. I felt great that he had such a liberal feeling but this is typical of London, the great metropolis. I rushed into the market and walked around every nook and cranny. There were many shops of wholesale dealers on both sides of a central street which was scattered with sawdust. If you are vegetarian, you might faint. Huge carcasses of pigs and cows were hung upside down, side by side. A worker in white clothes winked to the unexpected visitor. I saw beautiful columns and gates made of cast iron in the Victorian style. Sunshine came in from the glassed Ceiling making the market so bright and neat, as I could have never imagined from desolate looking outside of the building. The meat looked so delicious to me.
The time when I came across Smithfield Market, I was just wandering about town. It was sixteen years ago. One day I started to walk from the City holding my camera and I noticed a long building standing along the street. I felt something suspicious and looked into the building. Then I saw a splendid sight! There were hundreds of electric lamps hanging from the high ceilinged building. Huge pieces of meats were hung everywhere and workers were busily caring lumps of meat. I was so excited by this amazing spot that I found my body was shaking. I really didn’t know this was Smithfield Market, the biggest meat market in the world. I wanted to go inside so I went to the office and asked a man to let me in. He gave me permission pleasantly, and I made the impudent request to take photographs. Pointing to my chest, he passed me an official badge. I felt great that he had such a liberal feeling but this is typical of London, the great metropolis. I rushed into the market and walked around every nook and cranny. There were many shops of wholesale dealers on both sides of a central street which was scattered with sawdust. If you are vegetarian, you might faint. Huge carcasses of pigs and cows were hung upside down, side by side. A worker in white clothes winked to the unexpected visitor. I saw beautiful columns and gates made of cast iron in the Victorian style. Sunshine came in from the glassed Ceiling making the market so bright and neat, as I could have never imagined from desolate looking outside of the building. The meat looked so delicious to me.
Rotherhithe Tube Station
サークル ラインの電車に乗りホワイトチャペル駅で降りると、
If you get on a Circle Line train, and get off at Whitechapel station, you will find the short East London Section Line beside the platform. This line extends to New Cross across the river Themes. The train goes to Wapping and passed under the River Themes Tunnel to get to Rotherhithe station. These local line stations are rather desolate. In Rotherhithe station, there were wooden stairs such as we used to see at railway stations when we were young. I haven’t seen stairs like it at any other station in London. It’s very unusual and nostalgic in feeling.(omission)Two years ago, I went back to London after a long absence and visited Rotherhithe station again. When I got onto the platform, I felt something was different from before and looking around, I found the charming wooden stairs had gone and had been replaced by modern escalators with clear acrylic boards on both sides. The sight of the station was the same as it was fifteen years ago except for the bright new escalators. It was such a mismatch that I couldn’t stop laughing. I thought it must be convenient for daily passengers but it was an epochal event in the history of Rotherhithe station to put in escalators. I wished the stairs had been left because they hadn’t rebuilt the rest of the station, but I realized that this might just be an officious idea of a mere tourist, so I persuaded myself that London has to change sometimes, and left Rotherhithe station with mixed feelings.
If you get on a Circle Line train, and get off at Whitechapel station, you will find the short East London Section Line beside the platform. This line extends to New Cross across the river Themes. The train goes to Wapping and passed under the River Themes Tunnel to get to Rotherhithe station. These local line stations are rather desolate. In Rotherhithe station, there were wooden stairs such as we used to see at railway stations when we were young. I haven’t seen stairs like it at any other station in London. It’s very unusual and nostalgic in feeling.(omission)Two years ago, I went back to London after a long absence and visited Rotherhithe station again. When I got onto the platform, I felt something was different from before and looking around, I found the charming wooden stairs had gone and had been replaced by modern escalators with clear acrylic boards on both sides. The sight of the station was the same as it was fifteen years ago except for the bright new escalators. It was such a mismatch that I couldn’t stop laughing. I thought it must be convenient for daily passengers but it was an epochal event in the history of Rotherhithe station to put in escalators. I wished the stairs had been left because they hadn’t rebuilt the rest of the station, but I realized that this might just be an officious idea of a mere tourist, so I persuaded myself that London has to change sometimes, and left Rotherhithe station with mixed feelings.
River Side In Wapping
テムズ河は日本の河とも、
The Themes is an elegant river, and different from rivers in Japan and
Europe. With a big river, we have the image of a great quantity of
water flowing from up-stream to down-stream, but if we watch the river
Themes in London carefully, we will find the water sometimes flows from
down-stream to up-stream. There is a reason. The south part of England
is completely flat and low so there is little difference between the
land and sea water level. London is located eighty kilometers upstream
from the sea, but the North Sea water flows into it. Therefore we can
say that London has an excellent natural harbor in the river Themes. The
flow and ebb of tide changes the Themes each day, and it shows us
various sights. One day we see the Themes filled with water, the next
day at the same time, we will find it showing us over half of the bottom
which is a miserable sight like an empty dam. I was living in a
studio, facing the Themes and when I went to sleep at night, I sometimes
heard the sound of the tide starting to flow, it was so elegant. In
the early morning when the sky grows light, the Themes gets misty all
over and it’s a very impressive sight. In the evening, it doesn’t grow
dark for a long time in summer, and watching the Themes while having a
beer in some pub is very peaceful.
The Inner Temple
テンプル法学院はシティのはずれにあり、
The Inns of Court are located on the edge of the City. They use to belong to the Knights Templar, and there were students of law studying at the Inner Temple and Middle Temple from the 13th century. The place still has the appearance of the Middle-Ages. One day in late spring, I was walking on Victoria Embankment looking at Blackfriars Bridge. There was a court behind the tree off the street, I went to look, and I found this splendidly beautiful building with a gateway in the center and a narrow lane extending towards the Strand. The sight was unique and elegant, I stood and watched it. It was covered with sculptures and reliefs in the Renaissance style, and I fell in love with its beauty.
The Inns of Court are located on the edge of the City. They use to belong to the Knights Templar, and there were students of law studying at the Inner Temple and Middle Temple from the 13th century. The place still has the appearance of the Middle-Ages. One day in late spring, I was walking on Victoria Embankment looking at Blackfriars Bridge. There was a court behind the tree off the street, I went to look, and I found this splendidly beautiful building with a gateway in the center and a narrow lane extending towards the Strand. The sight was unique and elegant, I stood and watched it. It was covered with sculptures and reliefs in the Renaissance style, and I fell in love with its beauty.
Metropolitan Wharf
テムズ河沿のウォッピングの町は17、
Wapping which developed along the river Themes in the 17th and 18th centuries was crowded with many clippers coming in and out from going overseas. Enormous numbers of workers gathered there, and they had a tough life. When sailors finished a long voyage, they spent all their wages on wine and woman in this town. There were about one-hundred and forty drinking places and brothels around Wapping High Street, the stone pavements of which still remain today. In the old days, Wapping was the worst area for public order and morals in London, and there were often murders there, it was a dreadful place.
(omission)
Anyway, when I lived in Wapping for two years and three months from 1977 through 1979, the area had changed and was desolate with many empty warehouses. It was strange to see a big police station ruin in the center of such a small area but it was a vestige of these days. I was probably the first Japanese to live in Wapping. I loved this town with its bad reputation, and had very good time sharing the studio in the warehouse at Metropolitan Wharf.
Wapping which developed along the river Themes in the 17th and 18th centuries was crowded with many clippers coming in and out from going overseas. Enormous numbers of workers gathered there, and they had a tough life. When sailors finished a long voyage, they spent all their wages on wine and woman in this town. There were about one-hundred and forty drinking places and brothels around Wapping High Street, the stone pavements of which still remain today. In the old days, Wapping was the worst area for public order and morals in London, and there were often murders there, it was a dreadful place.
(omission)
Anyway, when I lived in Wapping for two years and three months from 1977 through 1979, the area had changed and was desolate with many empty warehouses. It was strange to see a big police station ruin in the center of such a small area but it was a vestige of these days. I was probably the first Japanese to live in Wapping. I loved this town with its bad reputation, and had very good time sharing the studio in the warehouse at Metropolitan Wharf.
90年代に静岡県の美術大学で非常勤講師として務めたことがあり
遅い写実 久保卓治 版画展「エングレービング」土屋和男 1995年
この展覧会の題名になっているエングレービングとは、
I worked as a part-time lecturer at an art university in Shizuoka in the 1990s, the London Engraving Exhibition was held in 1995 at Gallery Haoto, in Shizuoka City. At that time, Kazuo Tsuchiya who was a lecturer at the university attended my solo exhibition and wrote an article with deep consideration, so I will introduce some of it.
Slow Naturalism
Takuji Kubo "Engraving" Kazuo Tsuchiya 1995
Engraving, the title of this exhibition, is a technique of copperplate printing. The prints printed by it are composed of very thin and fine lines, and each line is carefully engraved, so it may not be uncommon to spend three months to half a year to complete a piece of plate. When it comes to thinking at this time to complete the work that is not large, it is inevitable that the artist's attitude toward the object to be engraved and its actions are of interest. Engraving seems to have the meaning of engraving; that is, engraving the letters on the inside-tomb, of a tomb, and the meaning derived from it, as well as the above-mentioned technique. The image that comes from the word tomb is nostalgia, resignation, and above all sadness. Could you say that Kubo's work was physically imprinted as an image corresponding to these thoughts? (O.) I have no reason to know about the contents of the memory that he sees in the picture; however, the impulse that he tried to capture in it, and more appropriately, the feeling that it makes us feel, defines a slowly developed belief deeply held within his heart and soul to creat a thing of beauty. The reason why such arguments can be said with certainty lies in the slowness to the completion of the work and the realism of the screen which is all drawn by the lines and is an accumulation of lines over the time in development. When standing in front of the works exhibited in the gallery, Kubo says that remembering them is the lifetime in which he was making them, and the music he was listening to at that time. No matter what process or method is taken, those memories can be put in the works as if it is more or less an experience of life, if you are a producer, but in terms of ease of memory, isn't it a monotonous gesture without large physical movements found in the technique called engraving, and the length of time for which it is sustained? What we need here is nothing but patience, betting on life and keeping up with a single film. Only by that, I cannot but feel the emotions that are intimately attached to the author's thoughts embedded in the images.
I worked as a part-time lecturer at an art university in Shizuoka in the 1990s, the London Engraving Exhibition was held in 1995 at Gallery Haoto, in Shizuoka City. At that time, Kazuo Tsuchiya who was a lecturer at the university attended my solo exhibition and wrote an article with deep consideration, so I will introduce some of it.
Slow Naturalism
Takuji Kubo "Engraving" Kazuo Tsuchiya 1995
Engraving, the title of this exhibition, is a technique of copperplate printing. The prints printed by it are composed of very thin and fine lines, and each line is carefully engraved, so it may not be uncommon to spend three months to half a year to complete a piece of plate. When it comes to thinking at this time to complete the work that is not large, it is inevitable that the artist's attitude toward the object to be engraved and its actions are of interest. Engraving seems to have the meaning of engraving; that is, engraving the letters on the inside-tomb, of a tomb, and the meaning derived from it, as well as the above-mentioned technique. The image that comes from the word tomb is nostalgia, resignation, and above all sadness. Could you say that Kubo's work was physically imprinted as an image corresponding to these thoughts? (O.) I have no reason to know about the contents of the memory that he sees in the picture; however, the impulse that he tried to capture in it, and more appropriately, the feeling that it makes us feel, defines a slowly developed belief deeply held within his heart and soul to creat a thing of beauty. The reason why such arguments can be said with certainty lies in the slowness to the completion of the work and the realism of the screen which is all drawn by the lines and is an accumulation of lines over the time in development. When standing in front of the works exhibited in the gallery, Kubo says that remembering them is the lifetime in which he was making them, and the music he was listening to at that time. No matter what process or method is taken, those memories can be put in the works as if it is more or less an experience of life, if you are a producer, but in terms of ease of memory, isn't it a monotonous gesture without large physical movements found in the technique called engraving, and the length of time for which it is sustained? What we need here is nothing but patience, betting on life and keeping up with a single film. Only by that, I cannot but feel the emotions that are intimately attached to the author's thoughts embedded in the images.