Ei-Q

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Ei-Q (瑛九, Eikyū, April 28, 1911 – March 10, 1960, in English occasionally "Q. Ei" or "Ei Kyu") was a Japanese artist who worked in a variety of media, including photography and engraving.

Life and career

Ei-Q, whose early work was done under his real name of Hideo Sugita (杉田 秀夫, Sugita Hideo), was born in Miyazaki-machi (now

Miyazaki City), Miyazaki Prefecture on April 28, 1911.[1] In 1925 Sugita entered an art school in Tokyo to study western-style painting, and his criticism of western art started appearing in the art magazines Atelier and Mizue in 1927,[2] in which year he also left the school. In 1930 he entered a photography school and from then on pursued both painting and photography and more particularly photograms, first experimenting briefly with these in 1930, then dropping them in pursuit of painting, and then returning to them in 1936.[2]

Ei-Q was influenced by the Surrealist aesthetic and also published essays promoting photography as an art form independent of painting. This did not imply a rejection of painting, and he worked toward what in 1935 he termed photo-dessins, a fusion of photograms and paintings. A first collection of these, published in an edition of 40 in 1936 as Nemuri no riyū (眠りの理由, "the reason for sleep"), took him to the forefront of the Japanese avant garde.[3] Akiko Okatsuka rates Ei-Q (as he had named himself in 1935), together with Sutezō Otono, as standing out among the many Japanese exponents of photograms, unlike the majority in their ability to use them for expressive rather than merely playful ends.[4] Ei-Q also contributed photograms and photography criticism to Photo Times. (He also became an enthusiastic proponent of Esperanto at about the same time.)

Ei-Q set up the art organization Jiyū Bijutsu Kyōkai (自由美術協会) in 1937; this lasted until 1951.[5]

Ei-Q was able to resume his work after the war and in 1951 set up the group Democratic Artists Association (デモクラート美術家協会, Demokurāto Bijutsuka Kyōkai) in Osaka. Membership was by invitation only, but the idea was to promote the free expression of members, who included woodblock artists, designers, photographers and others. On Ei-Q's move from Osaka to Urawa later in the same year, the group set up a branch in nearby Tokyo as well; Eikoh Hosoe and Takeji Iwamiya then joined. The Association lasted until 1957, holding exhibitions of its works.[6]

Also in 1951 Ei-Q started etching and lithography; he would continue exploring new art media until his death.[5] He was also active in art education, in 1952 setting up Sōzō Biiku Kyōkai (創造美育協会).[5]

Ei-Q died on March 10, 1960.

Exhibitions

Works in permanent collections

Works by Ei-Q are in the permanent collections of the following institutions:

Books by and of Ei-Q

Notes

  1. ISBN 4-473-01750-8
    ), p.61. (in Japanese) Despite its English-language alternative title, the book is in Japanese only. Biographical material is from this source where not otherwise noted.
  2. ^ a b Rei Masuda, "Japanese Photography of the 1920s and 1930s: Photographic Works of Koshiro Onchi, Osamu Shiihara and Ei-kyu", Modanizumu no kōseki: Onchi Kōshirō, Ei-Q / Traces of Light in Modernism: Koshiro Onchi, Osamu Shiihara and Ei-Kyu (Tokyo: National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, 1997), pp. 10–11.
  3. ISBN 0-300-09925-8
    ), p.336.
  4. ^ Akiko Okatsuka, "Consciousness and the Expression of the Modern", in Nihon kindai shashin no seiritsu to tenkai (日本近代写真の成立と展開) / The Founding and Development of Modern Photography in Japan (Tokyo: Tokyo Museum of Photography, 1995), p.23.
  5. ^ a b c Shashinka wa nani o hyōgen shita ka: 1945–1960 (写真家はなにを表現したか1945～1960, What were photographers expressing? 1945–1960; Tokyo: Konica Plaza, 1991), p.57. (in Japanese)
  6. ^ Takako Matsuda, "Democratic Artists Association", in Tucker, et al., The History of Japanese Photography, p.371.
  7. ^ a b c d Shashinka wa nani o hyōgen shita ka: 1945–1960, p.57. This source does not specify the name of the gallery.
  8. ^ Press release for the exhibition, Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo. (in Japanese). Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  9. ^ Website of the exhibition Archived July 22, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, Museum of Modern Art, Saitama. (in Japanese). Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  10. ^ "Atarashii Fukuoka kenritsu bijutsukan no arikata ni tsuite Archived 2011-05-26 at the Wayback Machine" (新しい福岡県立美術館のあり方について, PDF file) (in Japanese) p.49. pref.fukuoka.lg.jp. Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  11. ^ Web page of the exhibition Archived September 27, 2011, at archive.today, Sayama Shiritsu Hakubutsukan. (in Japanese). Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  12. ^ List of exhibitions at Urawa Art Museum Archived February 21, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Urawa Art Museum. (in Japanese) Accessed March 6, 2009.
  13. ^ Website of the exhibition, National Museum of Art, Osaka. (in Japanese). Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  14. ^ page about the exhibition, Kawagoe Gallery (Kawagoe). (in Japanese) Accessed March 6, 2009.
  15. ^ Exhibition schedule for 2008, Friends (Tomo-no-Kai) of the Museum. (in Japanese) Accessed March 6, 2009.
  16. ^ List of exhibitions, Kawagoe Gallery (Kawagoe). (in Japanese) Accessed March 6, 2009.
  17. ISBN 4-473-01894-6
    ) (in Japanese). P. 135.
  18. ^ Matsumoto, ed., Nihon no bijutsukan to shashin korekushon, p. 169.
  19. ^ Ei-Q's work appears in this page about part of the museum's permanent collection. (in Japanese) Accessed March 6, 2009.
  20. ^ Mie Prefectural Art Museum at Art Collection. (in Japanese) Accessed March 6, 2009.
  21. ^ Matsumoto, ed., Nihon no bijutsukan to shashin korekushon, p. 18.
  22. ^ Miyakonojo City Museum of Art at Art Collection. (in Japanese) Accessed March 6, 2009.
  23. ^ Ei-Q's work was prominent in the museum's display of its permanent collection during the year 2008–2009: description, Miyazaki Prefectural Art Museum (in Japanese). Retrieved March 6, 2009.
  24. ^ Nagashima Museum at Art Collection. (in Japanese) Accessed March 6, 2009.
  25. ^ Niigata City Art Museum at Art Collection. (in Japanese) Accessed March 6, 2009.
  26. ^ Chart (PDF file) showing all artists in the collection. Okawa Museum of Art. (in Japanese) Accessed March 7, 2009. (Ei-Q appears slightly to the right of and above the centre.)
  27. ^ Matsumoto, ed., Nihon no bijutsukan to shashin korekushon, pp. 32–33.
  28. ^ Takamatsu City Museum of Art at Art Collection. (in Japanese) Accessed March 6, 2009.
  29. ^ Page on Ei-Q, Tokushima Art Museum. (in Japanese) Accessed March 6, 2009.
  30. ^ As denoted by Ei-Q's inclusion within Nihon shashinka jiten, without a disclaimer.
  31. ^ MOCAT at Art Collection. (in Japanese) Accessed March 6, 2009.
  32. ^ Toneyama Kōjin Kinen Bijutsukan at Art Collection. (in Japanese) Accessed March 6, 2009.
  33. ^ Page about the museum's permanent collection Archived December 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Urawa Art Museum. (in Japanese) Accessed March 6, 2009.
  34. ^ Matsumoto, ed., Nihon no bijutsukan to shashin korekushon, p. 105.
  35. ^ Yokohama Museum of Art at Art Collection. (in Japanese) Accessed March 6, 2009.
  36. ^ Yokosuka Museum of Art at Art Collection. (in Japanese) Accessed March 6, 2009.

External links

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