This magnificent hand-painted etching and aquatint by Atsushi Kaga pays homage to the great sixteenth-century master Hasegawa Tohaku, depicting monkeys perched in snow-laden pines against a black night sky illuminated by gold leaf clouds. Kaga's delicate translation of Tohaku's atmospheric mastery into contemporary printmaking creates a bridge between Momoyama-period aesthetics and present-day sensibility. The contrast between the inky darkness and the luminous gold passages produces a sense of sacred stillness, while the monkeys' lively presence adds Kaga's signature warmth and gentle humour. A technically ambitious and art-historically resonant masterwork.
Atsushi Kaga (Japan, 1978) creates playful, introspective paintings and drawings that blend naïve figuration with dark humor. Often depicting animal-headed characters, his work explores identity, loneliness, and imagination. Influenced by folk art and comics, Kaga combines storytelling with expressive, childlike techniques to create emotionally layered contemporary narratives.
Etching and AquatintEtching and aquatint are printmaking techniques. In aquatint, the printing plate is etched with a pattern of tiny pits and cracks to create a wide range of tonal gradations. This technique allows artists to replicate the broad, flat tones found in watercolor paintings and ink washes.
Size
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53 X 81 cm
Edition
Edition of 20
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7,000EUR
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Etching & Aquatint hand-painted.
This magnificent hand-painted etching and aquatint by Atsushi Kaga pays homage to the great sixteenth-century master Hasegawa Tohaku, depicting monkeys perched in snow-laden pines against a black night sky illuminated by gold leaf clouds. Kaga's delicate translation of Tohaku's atmospheric mastery into contemporary printmaking creates a bridge between Momoyama-period aesthetics and present-day sensibility. The contrast between the inky darkness and the luminous gold passages produces a sense of sacred stillness, while the monkeys' lively presence adds Kaga's signature warmth and gentle humour. A technically ambitious and art-historically resonant masterwork.
Atsushi Kaga (Japan, 1978) creates playful, introspective paintings and drawings that blend naïve figuration with dark humor. Often depicting animal-headed characters, his work explores identity, loneliness, and imagination. Influenced by folk art and comics, Kaga combines storytelling with expressive, childlike techniques to create emotionally layered contemporary narratives.
I am a painter who will spend the rest of my life in the pursuit of meaning and beauty like the Japanese masters before me.
— Atsushi Kaga
Atsushi Kaga (b. 1978 Japan) is a contemporary artist known for his playful yet introspective Painting and Drawing practice. Based in Ireland, Kaga creates fictional narratives populated by animal-like characters that reflect human emotions, vulnerability, and social dynamics. His work blends elements of storytelling, humor, and melancholy, often exploring themes of identity, isolation, and belonging. Influenced by both Japanese visual culture and Western art history, Kaga’s style combines simplicity with psychological depth. His compositions appear naive at first glance, yet reveal complex emotional layers and symbolic meaning. Positioned within contemporary figurative art, Kaga’s work challenges traditional narrative structures while maintaining an accessible visual language. Through recurring motifs and imagined worlds, he invites viewers to engage with subtle reflections on the human condition and shared emotional experiences.
Contemporary art refers to avant-garde or innovative art created in the recent past or present day. The exact starting point of contemporary art varies depending on the institution, often tied to the founding year of museums or galleries that showcase the style. Contemporary art is characterized by its focus on current ideas, diverse media, and the exploration of new concepts and techniques.