Called “Cometa” in Spain, “Tako” in Japan or “Drachen” in Germany, kites are an integral part of our daily lives.
These large pieces of paper that children enjoy flying in the wind have a lon tradition and are considered in the Far East as a true art of living.
From the seventh century, starting from China, kites reached the islands of Japan where they became an “art madness”: thousands of people launch these flying forms in bright colors on the occasion of festivals. In the twelfth century, the art of kite flying was perfected to allow man to fly in the air. These first “flying men” were usually sent on spying missions during warlike ventures. Continuing their journey through India and Arabia, the “Takos” arrived in Europe where they lost the oriental symbolism.
Hisao Domoto was born in 1928 in Kyoto. Since his childhood he was surrounded by art, thanks to his father, a collector, and his uncle, a famous painter.
Domoto practiced traditional Japanese painting until 1949 at the Kyoto School of Fine Arts. His work was very successful in Japan, as he discovered Western art through magazines and exhibitions, that became a field of exploration for the artist.
During a stay in Paris at the end of the fifties, he discovered informal art. His large, vigorous oil paintings were dominated by streaks of bubbling color and swirling structures. In the 1960s his paintings became more quiet with strict geometric shapes.
Since 1967, the circle has become the dominant element. Segments made up of interlocking circular surfaces are joined together in pastel-colored ribbons. Already visible in his informal paintings, his interest in positive/negative structures is still present. The geometric patterns are declined in streaming and sparkling colors. He abandons oil paint for acrylics and uses paper instead of canvas. His paintings give us the illusion that the gaze penetrates into a boundless sphere above our heads (“cosmos”) or dives like a bird on a moving surface below us (“water”). An element of disorder penetrates the geometry of the circle and opens the way to new developments of creation like a chain reaction.
The square has long been Domoto’s preferred format, so the choice of the Hamamatsu square kite naturally came when he responded to Paul Eubel’s project.
Entitled Kyoto this kite with bright colors almost fluorescent becomes a mirror reflecting what happens in the sky. In a tangle of circles in the colors of the light spectrum, Domoto creates a spectacular work recalling the cultural richness of the city of Kyoto.
The transparency of the Japanese paper blends perfectly with the technique and mediums used by the artist. Pierced by the sun’s rays, this kite lights up in the sky, opening the door to an infinite universe.