鳥海 青児

1902年、神奈川県平塚に生まれた鳥海青児は、1934年頃から絵具に砂や石を混ぜ込み、光沢を抑えた厚い「マチエール(画肌)」、今までの洋画の常識を覆すような表現を確立した。

しかしそれは単なる装飾の目的ではなく、自身の求める色を具現化するために執拗なまでに質感を探求するアプローチだった。

砂を混ぜ、石をまぜ、色を重ね、削り出す。乾いてはのせ、乾いてはのせを繰り返し、時には絵具の油分を極限まで抜き使用する。その積み重ねの果てに表現されるマットでソリッドなマチエールこそが、鳥海青児の追い求めた【鳥海青児の色】であり【質感】であった。

また自ら浮世絵を蒐集し、表装まで手掛けるほど東洋古美術に深く精通していた鳥海。その美意識に裏打ちされた視点は、静物や人物、そして世界各地の遺跡や建造物へと向けられ、対象の本質を挟り出すための独自のリアリズムへと昇華されていく。

その唯一無二の世界観を目の前にした時、それは【絵画】以上の手触りであり、作品の体温を感じずにはいられない。

観る者の心を揺さぶる画家の執念と熱量は、時代を経てもなお色褪せることはない。

画面越しではなく間近に観て感じ取るべき作家の一人である。

鳥海 青児 略歴（1902-1972）

1902年：​神奈川県平塚市に生まれる。

1924年：​関西大学在学中に春陽会展に初入選。三岸好太郎とともに麗人社を結成。

1930年：​渡欧し、ゴヤやレンブラントの作品に影響を受ける。

1933年：​帰国後、春陽会会員となり、独自の表現を追求。

1943年：​独立美術協会に移籍し、以後同会を中心に活動。

1972年：​逝去。享年70。

​主な作品所蔵美術館

東京国立近代美術館

東京富士美術館

玉川近代美術館（愛媛県今治市）

三重県立美術館

その他所蔵館：​中野美術館（奈良県）、​大阪市立美術館（大阪府）、​セキ美術館（愛媛県）、​愛媛県美術館（愛媛県）、​メナード美術館（愛知県）、​東京都現代美術館（東京都）、​横須賀美術館（神奈川県）

Born in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in 1902, Seiji Chokai developed a highly distinctive painterly language around 1934 by mixing sand and stone into his pigments. Through this approach, he created thick, matte surfaces with subdued luster—an unprecedented treatment of pictorial texture that challenged the conventions of Western-style painting in Japan.

Yet this technique was never pursued for decorative effect alone. Rather, it was the result of Chokai’s relentless search for the precise colors and textures he sought to achieve. He mixed sand and crushed stone into paint, layered and scraped surfaces repeatedly, and at times removed much of the oil content from his pigments. Through this painstaking process of application, drying, and reworking, he arrived at the dense, matte materiality that became his signature—what might be called “the color of Seiji Chokai” itself.

A passionate collector of ukiyo-e prints who even undertook their mounting and conservation himself, Chokai possessed a profound knowledge of East Asian art and aesthetics. Guided by this sensibility, he turned his attention to still lifes, figures, and architectural and archaeological sites around the world, developing a unique form of realism that sought to reveal the essential character of his subjects.

Encountering Chokai’s work in person, one is struck by a presence that transcends painting itself. The tactile quality of the surface and the physicality of the material seem to convey the very warmth and vitality of the artist’s hand.

The intensity, dedication, and artistic conviction embedded within his works continue to resonate powerfully today. Chokai remains one of those rare artists whose work must be experienced firsthand, where its extraordinary texture and presence can be fully appreciated beyond the limitations of reproduction.

Biography

1902: Born in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan.

1924: While studying at Kansai University, his work was accepted for the first time at the Shunyo-kai Exhibition. Together with Kotaro Migishi, he co-founded the Reijinsha group.

1930: Traveled to Europe, where he was deeply influenced by the works of Goya and Rembrandt.

1933: Returned to Japan and became a member of the Shunyo-kai Association, developing his own distinctive artistic style.

1943: Joined the Independent Art Association (Dokuritsu Bijutsu Kyokai), with which he remained actively involved throughout the rest of his career.

1950s: Established his signature painterly technique by incorporating sand and stone into his pigments, creating richly textured, matte surfaces that became a defining characteristic of his work.

1960: Received the Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts.

1972: Passed away at the age of 70.

Public Collections

The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

Tokyo Fuji Art Museum

Hiratsuka Museum of Art

Tamagawa Museum of Modern Art, Imabari

Mie Prefectural Art Museum

Nakano Museum of Art

Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts

Seki Museum of Art

The Museum of Art, Ehime

Menard Art Museum

Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo

Yokosuka Museum of Art