Yuichi Inoue (1916-1985)
To (Stupa)(Painted in 1971)
Ink on paper
106 × 164 cm. 41 3/4 × 64 5/8 in.
Stamped with an artist's seal and dated on bottom right
Letting Go of Distractions, Writing with a Pure Heart
The Calligraphic Philosophy of Yuichi Inoue

As a modern post-war calligrapher in Japan, Yuichi Inoue broke the boundaries of established traditions with his own unique gesture.

Born in Tokyo in 1916, Yuichi Inoue turned to calligraphy in 1941 and studied under the famous artist Ueda Sōkyū. Since then, his modern calligraphy, which originated from the East, Asia and Japan, has been incorporated into the international art trend, and his works have become widely known.

He held “purity” as the highest criterion of creation, and embodies the will of life under his condensed brushwork. He broke away from the traditional brushwork to form a composition with his own unique characteristics. For example, the work To (Stupa) presented this time was created in 1971. It starts with the word “口” at the bottom of the work and slowly builds up a fortress. The other parts stand on their own, forming a stable structure, symbolizing the desire for a stable mind. If the visual abstract composition is linked to his life history of studying, war, and regaining his brush, it echoes the artist's bold heart at the age of his destiny.

Yuichi Inoue lived through the changes of time, left behind masterpieces like the To (Stupa), which, through the narration of ups and downs, leads the viewer to a silent but magnificent time, and expresses his heart explicitly!

井上有一 (1916-1985)
塔(一九七一年作)
墨 紙本
106 × 164 cm. 41 3/4 × 64 5/8 in.
款識
藝術家鈐印 71.2.15（右下）

摒棄雜念，寫純真之心
井上有一的書道

「井上用了一生來證明書法如何與個人共存，如何把自己作為土地、生活作為養料，使得書法在不毛之地茁壯成長，繁花似錦。因而，他是一個標誌、一種象徵――證明書法這一源遠流長的書寫形式的魅力永存。」

――南藝美術館館長李小山

觀看井上有一的書法作品，往往令人由衷讚嘆他大開大闔的縱橫筆墨，作為日本戰後現代書法大家，有一對書法的企圖與跨度，早已超出古典賞心悅目的審美範疇，而是在既有的傳統上，以個人獨特的姿態和意志，進一步打破疆界。

井上有一於1916年出生於東京，在美術師範學校畢業後，曾出任中學美術老師，1941年決心轉向書藝探索，師從名家上田桑鳩，以其天生悟性加上勤奮努力令其進步神速，而其求藝所得於1957年第四屆「聖保羅國際美術展」完整呈現，震撼藝壇。該展其書法作品，與來自美國的波洛克（Jackson Pollock）、克萊因（Franz Kline）與法國的哈同（Hans Hartung）同台競技。發源自東方的、亞洲的、日本本土的現代書法，自此被納入象徵前衛的國際藝術潮流之中，亦使有一的創作廣為人知。

井上有一將「純真」奉為創作最高準則，對藝術誠實且素樸，創作時將全部身心的能量都化為筆下的一撇一捺，在凝結的筆觸下體現自我龐大、堅實的生命意志。他跳脫傳統筆順的書寫，時而自下向上書寫，時而將作品中心點放在畫面側邊，形成獨具個人特色的構圖。如是次呈現1971年的《塔》，作品由最下方的「口」字寫起，象徵著「塔」的地基，由此慢慢蓋起一座城池。而「土」與「荅」字各自為立，形成穩定的結構，象徵渴求安穩的心靈歸依。他在書寫時刻意讓墨水在紙面上留下滴灑的痕跡，散落在畫面點點的墨漬，在視覺上留下粗中有細的質感。若將視覺上的抽象構成，與其經歷求學、戰爭、重拾畫筆的生命歷程相互連結，那些看似單純的黑白結構和漢字書寫中，蘊含許多意象與寄託。焦而濃的墨跡，一反早期的發散與飄逸，恰恰呼應了藝術家天命之年的果敢之心。

井上有一用他的生命參與了時代的流變，並以自我的面貌完成了自身藝術創造的使命，留下了如《塔》般熠熠生輝的傑作，通過眼前起承轉合述說，帶領觀者走向一個靜默而波瀾壯闊的時代，直抒胸懷！