<b>CAT RIVALS IN LOVE</b> / Tomoo Inagaki1967<b>SOLD</b></em>

Details

Tomoo Inagaki is celebrated the world over for his highly imaginative cat designs. His prints run the gamut from charming whimsical designs to darker and more psychological themes. This dynamic work is the original drawing executed by Inagaki in preparation for his 1967 print titled, Cats: Rivals in Love. The finished print is a faithful reproduction of this drawing. See image comparison of the drawing and finished print below. This original work is only a fraction of the size of the print, but it affords us the opportunity to see Inagaki directly engaged in the artistic process. Of particular interest is the manner in which Inagaki evenly divides the spacing of the visual field using grid lines (horizontal, diagonal, and vertical). These gridlines aided the artist in laying out the elements of his design. It’s fascinating to observe where the gridlines meet to form major intersections and how the artist responds to these areas, as he added strong design elements to bring the viewer’s eye to these specific points.

Connoisseur's Note

Original Inagaki work is scarcely available. The artist’s estate was dispersed in the early 2000s and few of these important drawings made their way into the market place. Though the drawings are well-executed works of art unto themselves, they are also highly prized by collectors in that they help us understand Inagaki’s artistic process at work. Oliver Statler in his book, Modern Japanese Prints, claimed Inagaki did not make "detailed sketches." It is unclear as to why Statler may not have known about these sketches at the time of writing his book, however what is clear is this artist certainly put a great deal of consideration and draftsmanship into his designs. These drawings are an important and understudied aspect of Inagaki’s legacy. After examining their carefully thought out compositions, one is left with a lot more to appraise next time one considers another Inagaki print.