hippopotamus
11thMonaco-Japan Art Festival2017 Zoukei Art Culture Award
This painting started when I brought back elephant dung paper made from elephant dung during an overnight stay at Utsunomiya Zoo in Utsunomiya City, Tochigi Prefecture (Japan).
At the "Utsunomiya Zoo" that I'm familiar with, I drew a picture of a hippopotamus that was always feeding on paper made from elephant poop, and it was well received. I drew it on a plywood board.
African elephants are on the verge of extinction due to poaching of ivory and burning of forests for palm oil.
Elephant dung paper is brought back to the nursery school, and the original painting of the hippopotamus is created in just 30 minutes. It is still kept at Utsunomiya Zoo. I was able to draw it very well, so I redrawn the hippopotamus and it became this work.
[Review]
A beautiful hippopotamus stands in perfect balance against a background reminiscent of the tarashikomi technique of Japanese paintings that utilizes the effect of bleeding.
This beast, dressed in a patterned dress with an expression reminiscent of calligraphy, looks as if it will pounce on you at any moment.
The red and green that color the face do not detract from the hippopotamus' expression, but rather emphasize the characteristic sophisticated eyes.
In Hippopotamus, a very contemporary style of expression, Hisako Yoshizawa captures nature not like a photograph.
With a rich sensibility and humor full of originality, he creates suggestive and lively works while expressing motifs with colors different from those of natural hippopotamus.
The painter, fascinated by this animal, immersed himself in creative work with the hippopotamus without being overwhelmed by its excitement.
From the spontaneous and clear drawings of this work, it can be imagined that she has her own art world without losing sight of reality. The hippopotamus, which has no natural enemies, occupies the screen with majesty, befitting its strength.
