Milt Kobayashi's Exhibition Catalog 2019

Milt Kobayashi Solo Exhibition

July 19-25, 2019

Milt Kobayashi Solo Exhibition July 19-25, 2019 Cover: (detail) Blue On White oil 26x26 Left: (detail) Hanafuda Winter oil 24x24

Meyer Gallery

225 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87501 www.meyergalleries.com

There is a quiet sophistication in Milt Kobayashi’s oil painted canvases, summoning a pensive, ethereal feeling in the viewer. Kobayashi’s subjects are people from another time and place and, yet, they are strangely familiar. They are urban dwellers lost in thought as they take a momentary respite from their routine. Kobayashi’s people are absorbed in the world of contemplation and meditation - making the attractively aloof.

A third generation Japanese-American, Kobayashi was born in New York City, soon after that his family moved to Oahu, Hawaii, and then ventured to Los Angeles when he was eight. After receiving his B.A. in 1970 from the University of California - Los Angeles, Kobayashi began working as an illustrator. However he found his work, which was quite editorial in its nature, did not fit the Los Angeles commercial art market. In 1977, Kobayashi returned to New York City. After returning to New York, a casual visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art permanently altered Kobayashi’s artistic direction and prompted a career change. There he saw Velazquez’s portrait Juan de Paraja.

He began studying the works of Whistler, Chase and Sargent, who were also influenced

by Velazquez. Strangely enough, it was through his study of Western masters, especially Whistler, that Kobayashi became aware of Japanese art and “the Japanese floating world of Edo”. He began studying the 16th and 17th century Japanese Ukiyo-e woodblock print masters Hokasai, Sharaku and Utamaro. Ukiyo-e is defined as “pictures of the floating world,” depicting characters in the constantly changing motions of life.

The whole perspective of Japanese art allures him - the patterns, color harmonies, use of negative space, and primarily, composition and design.

Kobayashi has received two major awards: the National Academy of Design’s Ranger Purchased Award and the Allied Arts Silver Medal. His work has appeared in Forbes, Fortune, and Reader’s Digest magazines. In September of 1997, Kobayashi was a featured guest artist at the Artist of America show in Denver, CO.

Bellucci As The Black Swan oil 10x10

New York painter Milt Kobayashi is known for contemporary figurative paintings that portray bright female subjects from surreal perspectives.

Kobayashi refers to his work as “private portraits in public settings,� as his figures typically exist in groups or busy public places yet are emotionally detached from their surroundings.

Blue On White oil 26x26

Cotton Candy oil 26x26

Distance oil 24x16

Friends At Rest oil 16x12

The artist’s Japanese-American heritage comes into play with these pieces and many works in the show; Hanafuda is a Japanese card game with a flowery deck whose name translates to “flower cards.” The cards are divided into suits named for different months of the year and feature flowers identified with that month or season.

Kobayashi’s painting, “Hanafuda Summer” has a bright palette with pastel yellows, blues and pinks, and his central figure wears floral patterned clothing evocative of Hanafuda imagery.

Hanafuda Summer oil 26x26

In contrast, “Hanafuda Winter” has a cool palette with shades of white and blue, while the figure dons black hair and white clothing. The wavy, textured lines in the backdrop of each piece recurs in several works throughout the exhibition such as “Cotton Candy,” “Mermaids”, and “Winter Wind,” and is reminiscent of Japanese print patterns. It’s also symbolic of “Ukiyo-e,” a genre of Japanese art that translates to “pictures of the floating world” and depicts characters in constantly changing motions of life.

Hanafuda Winter oil 24x24

The Couple oil 18x22

Leaning oil 16x12

Mermaids oil 20x15

Born in New York City, Kobayashi is a third-generation Japanese-American who lived with his family in Oahu, Hawaii and Los Angeles, California, where he spent many years working as an illustrator before returning to New York in the late 1970s. Here, he was strongly influenced by museum visits to the Met and other New York institutions and ultimately, shifted his career from illustration to painting.

Painted Lady oil 14x14

Prima Donna oil 12x12

Relaxing Friends oil 24x18

Ironically, it was his fascination with artists such as Velasquez and Whistler that lead him to discover Japanese art, and now his work reflects a distinct combination of both Western and Eastern techniques. “Whistler was extremely influenced by Japanese art, which is how I was introduced to it,” says Kobayashi. “I was emboldened by it as a Japanese American. I was excited by my roots, so to speak.

Seperate Tables oil 22x14

Summer oil 16x16

Sitting Sisters oil 14x14

The Blue Rose oil 10x10

In Blue oil 24x20

Twilight oil 10x10

What I want to do with my paintings is bring people in, I want you to stick your nose in and get personal with it.

-Milt Kobayashi

Winter Wind oil 16x12

Rather than engage with each other, they cast furtive glances toward the viewer or find themselves absorbed in introspection. “What I want to do with my paintings is bring people in,” he says. “I want you to stick your nose in and get personal with it.”.

Sisters oil 20x16

Casual oil 10x10

Untitled oil 12x12

Deux oil 16x16

Lounging II oil 10x10

Laura’s Wait oil 12x12

Milt Kobayashi

Solo Exhibition

Blue On White Hanafuda Summer Hanafuda Winter Mermaids Relaxing Friends Seperate Tables Distance The Couple Leaning Sisters Cotton Candy Friends At Rest Prima Donna The Silver Bow Winter Wind Deux Summer Bellucci as the Black Swan Sitting Sisters The Blue Rose Painted Lady Untitled Casual In Blue Laura’s Wait Lounging II Twilight

26x26 26x26 24x24 20x15 24x18 22x14 24x16 22x18 16x12 20x16 26x26 16x12 12x12 8x8 16x12 16x16 16x16 10x10 14x14 10x10 14x14 12x12 10x10 24x20 12x12 10x10 10x10

$15,800 $16,200 $15,100 $9,400 $12,500 $9,600 $11,500 $12,100 $6,800 $9,400 $16,200 $7,100 $4,500 $3,700 $6,800 $9,700 $9,500 $4,600 $6,900 $4,600 $6,600 $4,500 $4,100 $13,200 $4,800 $4,200 $4,300

MILT KOBAYASHI

The Silver Bow oil 8x8

Solo Exhibition | July 19-25, 2019 Artist Reception Friday, July 19, 5-7 PM

225 Canyon Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 505.983.1434 www.meyergalleries.com