ARTIST STATEMENT
2012年 04月 01日
(May 2025 updated)
MOUNTAINS AND SILENCE
By Koichi Yamashita, artist
Many of my Sumi-e (ink painting) motifs are mountains, but their concept lies in the expression of Silence. The Silence I speak of is not the soundless time between words, but rather that which constantly exists behind words, the place from which words are born and to which they return, that which gives meaning and reality to words. And I feel that this reality and ourselves are similarly given meaning and reality by this Silence.
Many of the world's religions have deep connections with mountains, and Silence there holds immense significance. This is because the divinity of mountains and the human spirit connect through Silence. How can this Silence be expressed in a painting? I use Oriental black ink on paper, leaving the mountains unpainted. The mountains that emerge from the jet-black background are, upon closer inspection, the paper itself. Within this interplay of void and substance, where what appeared to be drawn is actually unpainted and what was visible fades away, I see the nature of reality as expounded by various world religions and cutting-edge science. For example, the 'In the beginning' of the Bible and the Rig Veda, the Buddhist 'form is emptiness, emptiness is form,' or the models of matter and the universe presented by quantum mechanics.
Since the modern era, humanity has been liberated from the constraints of God, and the pursuit of desire has been justified as an individual right. Consequently, people have utilized nature, science, and even reason to achieve this, and as you know, the result has been the destruction of the global environment and the desolation of the human spirit. Viewed from another perspective, it can be said that humanity has lost its connection to Silence by creating words from words, becoming lost in the clamor. The world of words and the thinking that functions through them is a world of relative values. It is the fate of words and thought to constantly compare without ceasing, endlessly diffusing into the clamor of desire and conflict. One of the roles of art is to reflect or anticipate the times through its concept, presenting new values and paradigms. In the coming era, the recovery of a healthy global environment and spirituality will be more important than ever. For that, we need words that are deeply connected to Silence, not just words consumed in the noise. The same is true for painting.
In order to create a painting connected to Silence, I prevent my thoughts and emotions from entering the work. Just as a clear mirror accurately reflects a person, a painting that excludes the artist reflects the viewer’s Silence clearly. When I paint in connection with Silence, the painting is completed with every stroke, every breath, and I am not painting; rather, I am the witness to the place where the painting comes into being.
This Silence is also deeply related to the act of self-searching. The act of searching for oneself, like an eye trying to see itself, will inevitably reach an impasse. The Self exists before it divides into the seeker and the sought, and that place is Silence.
I hope my painting can become an opportunity to touch your Silence within. Thank you.
COMMENTS
No artist conveys the representation of mountains as place of spirituality like Koichi Yamashita. His works radiate silence and tranquillity and give the feeling of being connected to the universe. (By Marina Medina, art historian/curator.)
The world sumi-e paintings by Koichi Yamashita holds a mysterious power. There is something that moves the hearts of people, something that reaches only those who seek it. If you squint to see, it faintly appears. If you listen intently, it subtly resonates. And if you calm your heart and wait, intending to feel, you will be enveloped in a tranquil space where the wind plays. While most artists constantly aim for greater heights, climbing from one to ten, there are also those who stay true to their convictions, persistently moving from zero to one with original techniques, even while being rejected. Koichi Yamashita can be said to be one such artist. (By Takeshi Yamazaki, director of the Northern Alp Museum.)
Shunned by the art community for his self-taught style and unconventional approach to sumi-e painting, Koichi Yamashita, 57, creates striking monochrome paintings that convey the “dignity and severity” of Japan’s most imposing peaks, many of which he has climbed. Today, Yamashita continues to dance along those very peaks and ridges, now through precisely placed brushstrokes. In a process founded on Zen practices and teachings, his work challenges the viewer to venture beyond thoughts and emotions, constructing new values and paradigms through art. (By Francesco Bassetti, writer.)
In mountains long revered as divine since ancient times, the artist Koichi Yamashita discovered a sacred light. He has deeply fascinated by it. Guided by the presence of this light, he continues to wield his brush, allowing it to embody the profound emotions he has experienced. For him, the act of painting itself is comparable to a journey toward the summit of a towering sacred mountain, taken step by step, breath by breath, guided by unwavering resolve. this act represents, in a sense, liberation from the self, requiring one to confront and embrace conflicting thoughts and emotions, allowing them to coexists and transmute into a higher self. It is a state of mindfulness reached only through the refinement and purification of one’s own heart and soul. (By Jane Imai, curator.)
Artist Koichi Yamashita, recently featured in “The Japan Times,” we welcomes you for an art demonstration and Symposium. His unconventional sumi-e ink paintings depict the vast beauty of the rocky landscape. So detailed, they may be mistaken for photographs. Mr. Yamashita must hike the mountain before he paints them. Last year Mr. Yamashita quietly visited Crestone from his home in Japan. He hiked. He soaked up the beauty of this land. And then he returned home to paint. We are thrilled to announce an art demonstration, where he will paint our stunning backyard peaks followed by an art symposium and art reception. (By Deana Wilfong, curator.)
MOUNTAINS. THE PLACE OF SILENCE
by Marina Medina, art historian/curator
The encounter of the people with the mountains is an extraordinary encounter because in many cultures and religions the belief has always been that the gods live up there on their summits. Mountains are therefore in close connection with religion and spirituality.
According to Greek mythology, was believed that the god Zeus has been born and raised on Mount Ida on the island of Crete. Later Zeus chose Mount Olympus as the home of the Greek gods. In our culture, mountains play a crucial role in history because a number of important events happened on the mountains as told in the holy writings of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam).
God Yahweh met Moses several times on Mount Sinai. There Moses received the ten commitment, which regulate the relationship between God and humans as well as the inter human relationship. Noah's Ark stranded on Mount Ararat after 40 days and 40 nights of deluge. From there, a new chapter in the history of mankind begins. Christians associate Mount Tabor with the place of theTransfiguration of the Lord. Here Jesus appeared to his disciples in divine form. According to the Koran, Mohammed received his revelation on Mount Hira.
According to the tradition of Eastern religious belief, mountains are also seen as the seat of gods or spirits, or even revered as sacred. Mount Kailash is a sacred mountain for followers of Tibetan Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism and the Bon religion due to its distinctive symmetrical shape resembling a crystal. Out of respect for its religious significance, the Kailash remained therefore unclimbed. Every year, the Kailash attracts thousands of pilgrims who, depending on their faith, circulate it in one direction or the other.
Fujisan, Japan's highest and most beautiful mountain, has always been considered sacred in Shinto. On its feet and slopes thousands of shrines have been built to worship different deities.
No artist conveys the representation of mountains as place of spirituality like Koichi Yamashita. His works radiate silence and tranquillity and give the feeling of being connected to the universe. Koichi Yamashita specializes in an ancient tradition of painting, which is known in Japan as Sumi-e ("Sumi",means ink and "e" means picture, painting). In Japan, ink painting is closely associated with Zen Buddhism, where the essential is reduced to simplicity and plainness and attention is paid to extreme perfection. Originally this painting technique was used by Buddhist monks in China as well as in Japan, later with the spread of Zen Buddhism in Japan it was intensively adopted in different Zen schools. The reduction to the essential also reflects the Japanese spirit in art.
Mastering the art of Sumi-e requires an extraordinary sensitivity and attentiveness because every stroke of the brush is irrevocable. In every picture of the artist Koichi Yamashita the spiritual structure of the mountain is noticeable, the character of his being appears and lets the observer, completely in the sense of Zen Buddhism, feel one with the universe.
Koichi Yamashita is a great Sumi-e master who impressively depicts the colossuses of nature as places of silence where the soul of Zen-Buddhism can be recognized.
May all visitors to this exhibition as well as the readers of this catalogue feel the touch of the spirit of Zen-Buddhism and share it with joy.
(From the catalogue of the exhibition “Berge. Orte der Stille (Mountains. The Place of Silence)” at Lexus Forum Darmstadt in Germany 2019)
A BRIEF HISTORY OF MY ART
By Koichi Yamashita, artist
I was born in countryside and used to play in nature, climbing hills, trees and rocks, swimming in the river, and so on. When I was 22 years old, I started painting by self-taught. I wanted to paint nature which I had seen for long time.
At first, I used oil. But soon changed to watercolor because the atmosphere of oil painting was very different from what I saw in nature, feelings of transiency and eternity of the universe. After 23 years, when I was 45 years old, I began Sumi-e, black and white painting, using only traditional black ink on paper. Because watercolor was not enough for me to express what I saw in nature.
When I painted by watercolor, I tried to express the feeling of transiency by layering thin colors. But about eternity feeling, I could not catch it at that time. When I got to know the limits of watercolor expression, I started Sumi-e. But it was very different from watercolor. By trial and error, I found many unexpected things; nature was just a symbol, using many wet-in-wet washes invited natural phenomenon in painting, and the unpainted parts, like a mountain covered with snow, or cloud, mist, showed me a great wisdom of how to live. To express without painting implies for me to live without ego, let it be, let it go. Then I found infinite silence and stillness in the black painted background where all transient things come from and go back to. I realized the relation between transiency and eternity.
Since then, to connect these silence and stillness is my primary thing to paint. Now I do not want to put myself into my painting because I have known that I am not the man who paint a picture, but a witness to the emergence of it. Now I just want my painting to be a clear mirror. As myself goes out from painting, so it reflects your being clearly. Thank you.
BIOGRAPHY
1965
Born in Gunma Prefecture, grew up surrounded by nature.
1979
Read “Walden” by H.D. Thoreau and started trekking.
1981
Entered Takasaki High School and climbed mountains frequently.
1984
Entered the Faculty of Science at Shinshu University and climbed Japan Alps frequently.
1987
Came to believe that environmental issues cannot be solved no matter how much science and technology advance, or how well laws and systems are established, without controlling humanity’s desires and having a heart that respects and reveres nature. This realization led me to feel the need to study academics, religion, and art broadly, and began painting by self- taught. First painted oils, but their material solidity did not align with the sense of impermanence and infinity perceived in nature, which wanted to express, so quickly switched to watercolor.
1990
Started submitting my artwork to art contests.
1992
Started solo exhibitions.
1998
Spent four months traveling to see major museums and historical sites in Europe and the US, learning art from historical masterpieces. Subsequently until 2007, continued to visit museums and galleries in Europe and the US for one to two months each year, engaging with local artists. Started Zen practice.
1999
Visited museums across Japan, and galleries in Tokyo twice a month for year and half to learn Japanese art and expression.
2010
Viewed Song Dynasty ink paintings at the Shanghai Museum in Chana, and was struck by the expression of their worldview. Then noticed a commonality with Picasso’s “Guernica” which had seen in Spain, started ink painting.
2014
Visited Taiwan twice to study masterpieces of Song Dynasty ink painting in the National Place Museum.
2015
Visited the National Gallery in Washington D.C., in the US, and once again studied art history through historical works.
2017
Stopped submitting my artwork to all art contests. Received an offer for a solo exhibition from a German curator who described my paintings as “globally historically no example.”
2018
Solo exhibition in Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
2019
Solo exhibition in Darmstadt in Germany and the Northern Alp Museum in Japan. Received an offer for a solo exhibition from an American director. Lectured at the head temple of the Obaku school of Zen Buddhism Manpuku-ji in Kyoto on the “connection between religion, cutting-edge science and art.”
2020
Due to the pandemic, all my solo exhibition in Japan, Germany and the US were canceled. Dedicated a large ink painting to Hozo-in Temple in Kyoto.
2021
On X my art work reached 21,000 reposts, with 154,000 likes, and 8.63 million views. This was broadcasted on two Japanese TV programs, and featured on over 20 online news.
2022
The ceremony for the dedication of my ink painting to Hozo-in Temple was broadcast in NHK World Japan. Featured about my painting on THE JAPAN TIMES. Solo exhibition in Crestone and Pasadena in the US.
2023
Solo exhibition in Crestone and Pasadena in the US.
2024
Solo exhibition in Crestone, Denver two places, Hollywood and Pasadena in the US. Exhibited my artwork at special exhibition “Each Mt. Shari” in the Northern Alp Museum.
