Shozo Hirai (1948-2024) - Composition néoplasticiste...

Shozo Hirai – Neoplasticist Composition (vertical and horizontal bands) – Circa 1980 NO RESERVE PRICE Artist: Shozo Hirai (1948–2024) – Japan / Belgium Dimensions: 56.5 × 44 cm (frame included) Technique: Acrylic on panel Framing: Modern light wood frame (natural) Signature: Red wax seal “S.H – Shozo Hirai” on the verso Provenance: Artist’s studio, Ixelles (Belgium) Period: Circa 1980 A beautiful geometric abstract composition of great formal clarity, built according to a logic of balance characteristic of neoplasticism. The pictorial space is organized into two distinct registers, separated by a white band that functions as a visual breath. In the upper part, five vertical rectangles of identical height succeed one another: olive green, white, light blue, orange-red, and deep blue. Each field is bordered by a strong black contour, slightly irregular, which immediately asserts the pictorial and artisanal character of the work. The lower part develops a more massive horizontal structure: a broad red rectangle occupies most of the surface, topped by a bright yellow band and a gray band at the bottom. The same thick, vibrant black contours separate the planes while giving them a tactile and almost architectural presence. The acrylic medium is applied generously. The brushstroke trace is clearly readable, with slight density variations and subtle reliefs. This organic quality of the painterly touch tempers the geometric rigor and lends the composition a contemplative serenity. Far from a too-smooth or mechanical Mondrian, Hirai here embraces a warmer, more material, more meditative painting. The work fully embodies the spirit of De Stijl — reduction to orthogonal shapes, essential colors, pursuit of balance — while asserting a personal voice: silence, concentration and mastery of formal reduction. The red wax seal on the verso authenticates the piece and evokes the Japanese tradition of the artist’s seal. Biography Shozo Hirai (1948–2024) is a Japanese artist who settled in Ixelles (Brussels) in the 1970s. Between 1975 and 1990, he developed in his studio a coherent and independent body of work, outside institutional circuits. His work explores the meeting between the rigor of constructivism and European neoplasticism and a Zen-inspired sensibility, where painting becomes an exercise in balance, concentration and formal reduction.

Estimate:£339.1

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