Tadanori Yokoo’s Paintings Tinged with Torment
Known for his illustrations, the graphic designer started painting in the 1980s, producing darker pieces in which red dominates.

© Tadanori Yokoo, View of the exhibition “Tadanori Yokoo”, Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, 2006
An avant-garde figure in graphic design in the 1960s, Tadanori Yokoo has continued, in his artistic output dating from the 1980s onwards, to explore themes that previously ran through his illustrations and that are now addressed through another medium: painting.
His canvases depict his memory-based explorations, both personal and societal, of subjects as varied as death, spirituality, eroticism, and changes in post-war Japan.
Eroticism of death
His work is gathered together in a series entitled Rouge, which compiles his artistic production between 1996 and 2006, exhibited at the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain in Paris in 2006. The series also gave rise to a book released by the publisher of the same name.
‘Death is very present in my work. You know, in the appearance of death there is eroticism. And vice versa. To me, they are two sides of the same reality’, the artist explains in the introduction to the book. ‘But this isn’t abstract. I’ve always felt this inside me. It was this organic vision that led me down this artistic path.’
In the book, the reader discovers apocalyptic-looking pieces, where volcanoes, deserts, and caves appear side by side, here and there interspersed with stars and cherry blossom. In these troubled works, created in various shades of deep red, only a few touches of black and gold break the hegemony. Alongside his glowing red creations, the book features some canvases that are lighter in spirit, inspired by British and American Pop Art from the 1960s.
Tadanori Yokoo (2006), a book of works by Tadanori Yokoo, is published by the Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain. More information about the artist’s work can be found on his official website.

© Tadanori Yokoo, View of the exhibition 'Tadanori Yokoo', Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, 2006

© Tadanori Yokoo, View of the exhibition 'Tadanori Yokoo', Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, 2006

© Tadanori Yokoo, View of the exhibition 'Tadanori Yokoo', Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, 2006

© Tadanori Yokoo, View of the exhibition 'Tadanori Yokoo', Fondation Cartier pour l'art contemporain, Paris, 2006

© Cover of 'Tadanori Yokoo', Publication Fondation Cartier pour l’art contemporain, Paris, 2006
TRENDING
-
Colour Photos of Yakuza Tattoos from the Meiji Period
19th-century photographs have captured the usually hidden tattoos that covered the bodies of the members of Japanese organised crime gangs.
-
Recipe for Ichiraku Ramen from ‘Naruto’ by Danielle Baghernejad
Taken from the popular manga with the character of the same name who loves ramen, this dish is named after the hero's favourite restaurant.
-
The Tattoos that Marked the Criminals of the Edo Period
Traditional tattoos were strong signifiers; murderers had head tattoos, while theft might result in an arm tattoo.
-
Hayao Miyazaki, the Man Who Adored Women
The renowned director places strong female characters at the heart of his work, characters who defy the clichés rife in animated films.
-
A Documentary Examining Daido Moriyama's Photographs
This feature film sketches a portrait of the Japanese photographer while following the reprinting process for one of his first books.