Waseda’s Global Japanese Studies Unit invited Atsushi Suwa (Professor of Musashino Art University, Painting) for the talk event “HARBIN 1945 WINTER: The Art and Literature of War.” This talk was held in conjunction with the Atsushi Suwa exhibition “Fire in the Medial Orbito-Frontal Cortex” currently on view at the Fuchu Art Museum (from December 17, 2022 to February 26, 2023).
We invited Suwa to the Waseda International House of Literature to explore his thoughts on a painting depicting the artist’s own grandmother, who died in a Japanese internment camp in Harbin in 1945.
Satomi Yamamoto, Associate Director of Waseda Institute for Advanced Study (Professor of the Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University), served as interviewer and asked questions about the painter Suwa Atsushi and his works from the perspective of painting and literature, by identifying points of contact with several literary works, including Spinning Gears by Ryunosuke Akutagawa, The Tale of Heike, and Seimei no Taiga by Kotaro Takamura. Suwa responded to each of questions with care and sincerity, and we had the opportunity to recognize not only his paintings but also his exquisite use of language.
Although Yamamoto’s specialty is the history of medieval Japanese painting, it was extremely stimulating to discover the historical and literary contexts inherent in the works of contemporary artists, and it was a meaningful experience to reexamine the fundamental meaning of painting for each period, region, and society, as well as for human beings.
It was a lively and fulfilling two-hour event, with questions from the audience and online participants about Suwa’s criteria for beauty, and the position of the “coverage” process in his artwork.
Event Information
- Chair: Satomi Yamamoto (Professor, Faculty of Letters, Arts and Sciences, Waseda University)
- Speaker: Atsushi Suwa (Professor, Painting, Musashino Art University)
- Date and Time: December 26, 15:00 – 17:00 (JST)
- Location: In person and online meeting via Zoom
- Language: Japanese
- Program:
15:00～15:10 Opening Address: YAMAMOTO, Satomi
15:10～16:10 Talk “HARBIN 1945 WINTER” : Atsushi Suwa (Professor, Painting, Musashino Art University)
16:10～17:00 Discussion between Speakers and Participants
Prospected Audience: Faculty members, Researchers, Graduate students
