Hiromitsu Morimoto
Exhibit June 28 – July 10, 1999
Umimoto Ken
“Great hopes for the creative activities of Professor Hiromitsu Morimoto” My first encounter with Mr.Morimoto was at the atelier of Mr.Joe Ono, who is a plastic artist and the sponsor of ” ONOJIN “. At that time, Mr.Morimoto was right in the middle of the preparatory stages a three-dimensional sculptor. I remember what a striking figure he cut as he vigorously kneading the clay, silently continuing the process of tuning the clay into a homogeneous stage. He became a full-time instructor for Tokyo Zokei University after that, working as an assistant professor for 9 years, and then a full professor for 17 years. He was in charge of classes consisting of exercises and practical training in the three-dimensional art. At the artisan’s studio, where students were polishing up their basic skills, he enthusiastically imparted to them the spirit of creation, and I would like to express my gratitude for his contribution to the education on plastic arts at our university. On the occasion of Mr.Morimoto’s retirement, the university has decided to hold a memorial exhibition for him at the university art museum, and I had the privilege of being shown some of his works in progress. The first impression I had was that there was an exotic feel to them, they were full of an unexpectedness I was not accostomed to seeing. The creative activities if Mr.Morimoto began with the stone sculpture, them later extended into wood, metals, and other materials. And further, through his involvement with the field of design, it developed into the acquisition of skills involving molding plastic at normal temperatures. Afterwards, he continued with research into shaping, as well as the creation of the jig for repairs, and he was able to apply those skills into restoration works as well. Through all these years he had been honing his various expressive skills in the arts, with his desire to create works of art steadily intensifying until finally, culminated in this current exhibition.
Mr.Morimoto is a native of Mariana, Rota Island, which is near Guam in the Southwest group of islands. This, I believe, had a great influence on his artistic sensibilities. He has a deep interest in the modeling characteristics of the Polynesian group that created the Moai stone sculpture, and the group of large stone sculpture found on Rodas Island that is included as one of the World’s Seven Wonders. Furthermore, there is feeling of veneration towards the numerous historic ruins and other legacies left throughout the world by mankind. And all of these, I believe, are reflected in the simple expressiveness of Mr.Morimoto’s current works. Another things is that Mr.Morimoto is tall and has a good posture. He cuts a striking figure, his white beard lending him the air of a mountain hermit. Standing tall and straight, he exudes a mysterious sense of presence. “Vertical standing,” an expression that crops up in his current work, hints at the universe, emphasizing the directionality of this suggestion, and in this is revealed the artist’s formative consciousness. Furthermore,there is a deep interest in the mythology of the “Seihitsu” (Ark), which is said to protect the sacred objects of Ethiopita, and other mysteries surrounding the ark. That the artist would create works entited “The Man Who Protects the Ark,” or ” The Man Who Protects Miracles,” gets us in touch with one facet of a simple psychology, what is concealed within the inner spirit. As for me, they overlap with the standing figure of the artist himself, and gives me a feeling of strange pleasure.
Recently, I discovered that Mr.Morimoto is a lover of motorcycle, and enjoys the sense of speed. He observes the way people appear as he rides past them on his motorcycle, a perspective that comes through in his art works such as “Night Flight” and others, where the head section is compressed and the profile strongly exaggerated. The way the eyes are set apart from the face, and projected outward into space is quite starling. The evoke a graphical image that is contemporary in its sharpness, quite in contrast to the apparent simplicity of their expressions. I believe that what is at work is a psychological state within the artist resonating with super realistic modes of expression. Another feature of his construction of metal boards into flat surfaces, and his use of contrasting materials. In one image of a seated Buddha, Mr.Morimoto attempts to give multiple expression to complex meanings that surface through his aesthetic sensibilities. In its background we can sense the feeling of longing and adoration for the grace and elegance of Botticelli’s “Madonna del Magnigicat,” famous as an image of the goddess of love and beauty, or as the symbolic expression of the worship of the Virgin. That feeling then is superimposed onto the image of Madame M., the subject of Balzak’s work, “Le Lys Dan La Vallee,” a paean to women. Mr.Morimoto has beautifully grasped this opportunity to create these three-dimensional pieces, and it is my sincerest desire that he continue to further develop and direct his passion for modeling, to synthesize, through his keen creative powers of constructing works that use the contrastive relationships of disparate elements in close proximity, and may his art continue to bear fruit into works of supreme quality.
[ Tokyo Zoukei University President ]
Moriguchi Yo
The art museum attached to the Tokyo Zoukei University was originally established as basically a venue where works by the Italian contemporary sculptor Giacomo Manzu could be held in permanently exhibition. There has, however, been a call to actively use the museum for exhibits planned and sponsored by the university, and not limit it to displaying the works of Manzu. So far, exhibitions of other artists have included “Kimura Digital Camera” (1988), “Wilkhern Chair” (1998), “The Uchida Shigeru Memory Method” (1999), “Ootsuji Seiji and 15 Photographers” (1998). These exhibits were all made possible through the active promotion on the part of the university teaching staff. The character of the art museum seemed to change with each new exhibit, each new show lending it a fresh feel and a vast new sense of space. In point of fact, only when a display can engage the interest and concern of the observer can it ever manifest its luster and beauty in the true sense of the world. The result has been a transformation of the art museum into an active, lively space. In that sense, the exhibition of Mr.Hiromitsu Morimoto’s works holds a very deep significance. Although the memorial exhibition is on the occasion of his retirement, I believe that it would not be considered improper if we allow it ti serve a purpose beyond that objective. In fact, I think that it should be positioned and treated as an event that will greatly lend luster to the prestige of the university art museum.
[ Chairman of the Art Museum Committee ]
Sato Seiko
Mr. Morimoto graduated from Tokyo Art University Sculpture Department in 1958, and finished his master of arts in sculpture in 1960. Although I was studying metalwork at the same time period, we did not have any contact back then. It was after 1960 that I met Mr. Morimoto, and at the time our association began, he was still a student of sculpture. Back then, there were no classes in stone sculpture, and only two classes were offered, a modeling class by Mr. Ishii, and the other, a wood sculpture by Mr. Hiraguchi. I will comment on this a litter later. When the art school that was the forerunner of Tokyo Art University was first established, there were only wood sculpture classes available. It was after 1893 that classes in wood, stone, and ivory sculpture were introduced, and the modeling course began from 1897. Eventually, ivory sculpture classes disappeared from the curriculum, followed also in 1908 by lessons in stone sculpting. By the way, old records show that Bousou Houjou and Tawara Couseki taught stone sculpture. Tsuruzou Ishii exposed his students to a vigorous training that tought them to delve beyond superficial realism, emphasizing not the surface, but the movements that arise from within, and on the skeletal framework that support these movements. Before 1955, and before Mr. Morimoto completed the courses taught by Tsuruzou Ishii, sculpture courses were added to the cutticulum of the sculpture department. Thus, a considerable amount of time elapsed before “stone” was introduced to the university. The person who would be teaching these classes on stone sculpture was to be Mr. Morimoto’s second mentor, Mr. Kametaro Amashi. Since records show that Mr. Hiragushi retired at around that time, to be rep raced by Mr. Kazuo Kikuchi, can we assume that Mr. Kikuchi was responsible for inviting “the stone” to the university? Mr. Morimoto tackled the lessons with enthusiasm. He spent a long time working and struggling with the stone, whose resistance was transmitted to him through the chisel. Eventually, when his feelings depended, he would sense within the stone a shift, a response, a receptivity, to the approach of completion. It was through this struggle, this inner work, as well as out of gratitude to his mentor, that he was able to make his teacher’s artistry and technique his own. From 1960, for several years, Mr. Morimoto trained at Akashi Stone Construction Art Research Center. This center gave birth to many sculptors whose principal medium was the stone. Those who knew Mr. Akashi call hem the “Master Artisan” of the Showa period. I am narrating things out of sequence here, but Mr. Morimoto’s first and beloved teacher, Mr. Ishii, retired from Tokyo Art University in March 1959. If we consider this, then we can well imagine how his feelings of exaltation for Mr. Akashi — and through him the stone — must have reached the highest pitch. But finally, in 1973, his beloved and respected mentor Mr. Akashi passed away. What was to become his posthumous work, Inokashira Kannon, was, in fact, mostly carved by Mr. Morimoto based on his teacher’s model. It must have been more than ten years ago when I first saw the sculpture. I remember that it was on an autumn day, and the sun was beginning to set. The well-shaped statue is in the Tendaishu Daiseiji temple compound, which looks down in Inokashira Benzaiten. Since then, I have visited it many times, but now that the temple has been rebuilt, it has become difficult to go within the grounds. But if you do manage to enter, you will be able to read Mr. Morimoto’s account of his days as an apprentice. It was quite a training. There was, first of all, the early morning cleanup the stones based on their different characteristics, the method of carving words, setting apart the stone lanterns, the Renben Buddha’s sitting on a lotus petaled leafstand, the copy compasses, and the tooth-edged chisels used for the final touch up. It was a lot of hard work. Yet Mr. Morimoto concludes his account with these words: “It was a happy time for me. I think my happiest, most purely blissful days were shared with my teacher.” After that, Mr. Morimoto was to apply the skills and the techniques that he had cultivated in many different spheres of activities. Yet his own expressive work had not yet come into fruition. It goes without saying that throughout a lengthy training, he had continued to muse about the problem of “art”, in particular, he must have contemplated deeply about sculpture. He did so within the context of various movements taking place then within Japanese society as a whole. If we were to focus on one movement, it would be the one the took place after 1957 when the world of design —the word itself took root in post-war Japan — underwent a huge evolution. Within this larger movement, Mr. Morimoto continued to ponder on the position that the art of sculpture should occupy. Finally, he realized that sculpture would attain meaning through what could be summarized into the exoression, “sculpture and society.” or to put it in other words, “the art of modeling and society.” It was from then that Mr. Morimoto began his assiduous overtures into the domain of design. This was a stage that lasted over a long period of time. And now, for the first time, as proof of the life and existence of Mr. Morimoto, his works have been born. The titles have been taken from “The Legend of Seihitsu” and “The Lilies of the Valley,” but the seem to hold a deep meaning for Mr. Morimoto. In any case, I have great expectations of his future artistic activities, and I wish to extend my heartfelt congratulations to him..
[ Metal Artist ]
Imai Shigeyuki
I first met Mr. Morimoto in 1974, when I was given a job as a part-time instrctor at the university where he had just been appointed. Since that was since the first day of my lecture, we must have known each other for some 26 years. Furthermore, from 1983 for six years, we were also associated as fellow lectures through the Department of Architecure college of Industrial technology, Nihon University. Mr. Morimoto is a man of great simplisity; despite his strong inner core, he is a very kind, warn hearted person who loves nature.
Mr.Morimoto’s works in this exhibition center mostly around constructions that rely on wood and brass. The choice of that motif are powerful statements of his unique world of creation. If I may be so presumptuous as to express my personal opinion, I think that the subliminal source of his creativity is fundamentally Eastern in nature. While the genesis if his thought system may be found in the traditional sculptural aesthetics of Michelangelo and others, he assimilated within himself the transition that Western contemporary art underwent, and in the process metamorphosed it and developed it into his own, unique three-dimensional sculptural expression. Another important characteristic is that these creative thoughts have their base in literary and historical references. There were then transformed into a type of symbolism, leading in turn to their “deformation,” and finally, his creative expressions as revealed in his works. I have taken the privilege of elucidating my own opinions just now. But what I do hope is that Mr.Morimoto will seize the opportunity of this exhibition to grow, to develop, to unfold, to continue creating radical works that can soar into a new space and time.
[ Stage performer and composer ]
Jun 28-Jul 10,1999
東京造形大学退職記念展
東京造形大学退職記念展
1999.6.28～7.10
東京造形大学付属美術館
Hiromitsu Morimoto’s Works:1954-2000
Tokyo Zokei University, Tokyo
森元洋満展によせて
海本 健氏
「森元洋満先生の創造活動に期待する」
森元さんと私の最初の出会いは、造形作家で「小野陣」の提唱者である、小野襄氏のアトリエでした。その時の森元さんは、立体造形物をつくる準備段階で、粘土を力を込めて練りながら、均質な状態にする作業を、黙々と続けていて、その姿がとても印象的だったことを思い出します。
その後、森元さんは、東京造形大学の専任となり、助教授歴9年、教授として17年にわたり、造形教育における立体系の実習や演習の授業を担当され、主としてデザインの工房において、基本となる技術を磨く課程で、熱心に、物作りの精神を教えて戴き、本学の造形教育に貢献されたことに対して心から感謝申し上げたいと思います。
この度、先生の定年退職記念展を、本学の美術館で開催することになり、製作中の作品を見せて戴きました。 その第一印象は、エキゾチックな感じがあり、見慣れない意外性に富んだものでした。 森元さんの造形活動は、石像彫刻が出発点になっていて、その後、木材や金属等の他の素材による造形の追求へ進み、さらに、デザイン分野とのかかわりから、プラスチックスの常温成形の技術へと発展し、その型づくりや冶具の制作等を研究され、それらの技術を活かした修復の仕事も手がけてこられました。 そして、この間に、磨いてきた多様な表現技術を駆使して、創作作品を造りたいとの執念が徐々に高まり、今回の作品発表となったものと思います。
森元さんは、南西諸島のグアム島の近くにあるロタ島の出身であり、このことが、感性の上に大きな影響があって、ポリネシア集団の造り出した石像群モアイ像の持つ造形性や、世界の七不思議に取り上げられているロードス島の巨石文化に深い関心を寄せ、さらに、人類が残した多くの世界遺産や遺跡に対しても、畏敬の念があることが、今回の作品の素朴な表情に反映していると思われます。
また、森元さんは背が高くて姿勢がよく、白い髭をたくわえた仙人の如き風貌で直立した姿には不思議な存在感を感じさせていましたが、今回の表現の中で”垂直に立つ”という宇宙を暗示する方向性を強調する気持ちに、造形意識が表れています。さらに、エチオピアにおける聖遺物を守るという聖櫃(アーク)の伝説やアークにまつわる奇跡の謎にも深い関心があって、”アークを守る男”や”奇跡を守る男”の立像を制作していることに、内的な精神に潜む、素朴な心理の一面を感じさせ、私には、本人自身が立つ姿のイメージが重なり、不思議な感興を覚えます。そして、最近、森元さんがバイクの愛好家でスピード感を楽しむ人でることを知りましたが、森元さんは、バイクに乗って移動する人物を観察していて、特に、頭部の横向きの顔に不思議な存在感を直感したことかが”夜間飛行”その他の作品に観られる圧縮した頭部の横顔を強調する造形表現になっています。また、顔から分離して空間に突出している目の表現には意外性があり、素朴な表現とは異質なシャープで現代的・グラフィカルなイメージも感じられ、森元さんの内面に超現実的な表現に共感する心理が働いているものと思われます。その他、金属板を平面的に構成していることや、材質の対比性を活かそうと試みている点に特色が見られます。 また、森元さんの美意識から、複合的な意味を多義的に表現したいと試みている座像があります。その背景にあるものは、美と愛の女神や聖母信仰の象徴的な表現として名高い、ボッティチェリの「マニフィカトの聖母」の持つ優美で気品のある姿への憧憬の心情であり、その気持ちを、女性への賛歌として書かれたバルザックの作品「谷間の百合」の主人公M婦人のイメージと複合させ、森元さんの「現代のマリア像」が創作されています。 私はこのような立体作品を創作する「キッカケ」を掴まれた森元さんが、その執念を更に発展させて、造形表現へ向けて、諸要素が緊密な相対的関係を形成する鋭い造形力によって、総合化される質の高い造形表現へと結実されるよう、努力を続けられることに期待しています。
<東京造形大学学長>
森口 陽氏
東京造形大学の付属美術館は、基本的にはイタリアの現代彫刻家ジャコモ・マンズーの作品を常設展示する場所として設置されているが、近年このスペースをマンズー作品に限らず、大学主催の企画展覧会の会場として活性化しようとする動きが進んでいる。「キムラ・デジタル・カメラ」展（98年）、「ウィルクハーンの椅子」展（98年）、「内田繁・方法の記憶」展（99年）、「大辻清司と15人の写真家たち」展（99年）などである。いずれも本学教員の積極的な提案による企画展で、そのひとつひとつの展覧会が実現されるたびに、美術館の空間は変化して、見る側に新鮮な内容とスペース感を味わせてくれる。
実際、展覧会とはそれ自体、鑑賞者の興味と関心の対象にされて、はじめて本当の意味での生彩を発するものであって、その結果として美術館という場をいきいきとした空間に変貌させることが可能なのである。
そういう意味では、今回の森元洋満先生の展覧会は意義深いものがある。 本学を退職される記念展ということが趣旨ではあるが、その趣旨を大幅に上まわってもちっとも構わない。むしろ、大学美術館というプレステージをより高いレベルに引き上げるイベントとして位置づけるものとして考えたい。
<美術館委員会委員長>
佐藤 碩夫氏
永くお付合いを願っている森元氏の退職記念展が開催される。
心よりお祝い申し上げる。森元氏は1958年に東京芸術大学彫刻家を卒業し、1960年専攻科彫刻を終了しているが、同時期に金工を学んでいた私は、森元氏とのふれ合いはない。森元氏と会うのは、1960年以後のことで石彫を学んでいる方として付き合いが始まる。
芸大にはその当時石彫はなく塑像の石井教室と木彫の平櫛教室の2つであった。これについてもうすこしふれる。芸大前身の美術学校の創設された時は木彫のみであり、明治25年になって木彫・石彫・牙彫が設置されて、塑像は明治29年から開講される。そしてそのうちに牙彫がなくなり石彫も明治40年迄でその授業は消える。因に言うと、石彫担当の師は房総北条の石屋俵光石の名が記録にみられる。
さて、森元氏は、表面的写実よりも内から生じる動勢、それを支える骨格を重じる石井鶴三先生んお厳しい教えを感受して石井教室を卒業するが、その以前1955年、彫刻科に石彫の講習会が始まる。塑造と木彫を主とした長い時を経て、「石」が入ってきたのである。講師は森元氏の第2の恩師となる明石亀太郎先生である。この時期平櫛先生は退官それて菊池一雄先生となっているところをみると、石を呼んだのは先生か？
森元氏はこの講習会に臨む。「のみ」から伝わる石の抵抗を感じながら、時間をかけて石との対決。そして石への思いが深まった時、石は動き完成に近づくことを、ゆっくりと受けとめたであろう。だからこそ、その後、先生の徹底した基礎技術・技術の教えを至福しながら自らのものにしたのである。1960年から数年間の明石石造美術研究所での修業である。ここから多く石彫家が育つ。先生を知る人は昭和の名工と呼ぶ。前後するが森元氏の最初の恩師石井先生は1959年3月、芸大を退任する。このことを思えば、森元氏の明石先生へ-石-への昴りがより振張したとおもわれる。
そして、1973年、敬愛する恩師明石先生は此の世を去る。遺作となって井の頭観音は、先生の原形をもとに森元氏が殆ど刻んだものだ。初めて拝見したのは、もう10年も前であろう。日が落ちはじめた秋の頃と記憶している。良い姿の像は、井之頭弁財天を見下す天台宗大盛寺の境内にある。その後何度か訪れたが、今は寺が改築されて境内に入りにくくなってしまった。ここに内弟子時代のことを述べた文がある。かなりの修行である。早朝の仕事場の掃除、道具類の整頓、そして石の性質の見分け、文字彫りの方法、石燈・蓮弁などの比例と分割、模刻コンパスのこと、仕上げ用の櫛刀のこと、などなど。大変の身の入れ方である。そして最後に森元氏は次の言葉でむすぶ。 「-楽しい時を過ごした。純粋に一番幸せな時期を先生と共に過ごしたのではないかと思う-」。その後森元氏は身に培った技能と技術の手腕を様々場でいかして行く。だが森元氏自身の表現作品はまだ生まれてこない。 長い修行の中で、「芸術」のことを考えつづけていたことは言うまでもない。 ことに「彫刻」という造形物について沈思黙考していたにちがいない。社会の動きを感じながらである。一つに絞れば、デザインという言葉が戦後の日本に定着して、デザイン界が大きな展開を示しだす1957年以降の社会の動きのことである。この動きのなかで「彫刻」は如何様に存在すべきなのかと、森元氏は沈思黙考をつづける。そして、「彫刻と社会」いいかえれば、「造形と社会」に意味をにぎる。森元氏がデザインの領域へ懸命に協力しだすのはこのときからである。この時期がまた長い。
今ここに、ご自分の証しとしての森元氏自身の作品が初めて誕生する。 題材を「聖櫃の伝説」からと「谷間の百合」とから取られているが、森元氏がもつ意味は深そうである。何はともあれ、今後の御活躍を期待し、心よりお祝い申し上げる。
<金工作家>
今井 重幸氏
森元洋満氏の退職記念展、心底お祝いいたいします。森元氏と私の最初の出会いは1974年、当時彼が赴任したばかりの本大学に私も非常勤講師を依頼され、私が出講した日以来なのでかれこれ26年のおつきあいである。その間の1983年から6年間、日本大学生産工学部建築工学科に於いても、講師同志で顔を合わせていた訳である。森元氏は素朴で芯は強いが大変優しく温厚な人柄、そして自然を愛する人である。 さて、森元氏の今度の作品群は木と真鍮に依る構成が主体であるが、そのモティーフの選択は彼独自の創造世界を強力に表明している。鳥滸がましく私の意見を述べさせて頂けば、森元氏の創作上の潜在的意識の源流は東洋的 なるもの ・ ・ ・ ・ だと思う。その思考の原点をミケランジェロ等の伝統的彫刻美に置きながら、西洋現代美術の変遷を彼自身の体内で咀嚼しメタモルフォーゼして、
彼独自の立体表現へと展開されたのだと思う。そしてもう一つの重要な特質は、その創造的発想の出発点が文学的・歴史的思考に在ることだ。それがある種のサンボリスムとなり、デフォルマシオンされ作品に表現されたのだと思う。勝手な私見を述べたが、なによりこの記念展を機に益々発展・展開され、新たな時空に飛翔する作品群を先鋭的に創り続けて欲しいと願うものであります。
<舞台演出・作曲家>
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Tokyo Zoukei University
Hiromitsu Morimoto
Exhibit June 28 – July 10, 1999
Umimoto Ken
“Great hopes for the creative activities of Professor Hiromitsu Morimoto” My first encounter with Mr.Morimoto was at the atelier of Mr.Joe Ono, who is a plastic artist and the sponsor of ” ONOJIN “. At that time, Mr.Morimoto was right in the middle of the preparatory stages a three-dimensional sculptor. I remember what a striking figure he cut as he vigorously kneading the clay, silently continuing the process of tuning the clay into a homogeneous stage. He became a full-time instructor for Tokyo Zokei University after that, working as an assistant professor for 9 years, and then a full professor for 17 years. He was in charge of classes consisting of exercises and practical training in the three-dimensional art. At the artisan’s studio, where students were polishing up their basic skills, he enthusiastically imparted to them the spirit of creation, and I would like to express my gratitude for his contribution to the education on plastic arts at our university. On the occasion of Mr.Morimoto’s retirement, the university has decided to hold a memorial exhibition for him at the university art museum, and I had the privilege of being shown some of his works in progress. The first impression I had was that there was an exotic feel to them, they were full of an unexpectedness I was not accostomed to seeing. The creative activities if Mr.Morimoto began with the stone sculpture, them later extended into wood, metals, and other materials. And further, through his involvement with the field of design, it developed into the acquisition of skills involving molding plastic at normal temperatures. Afterwards, he continued with research into shaping, as well as the creation of the jig for repairs, and he was able to apply those skills into restoration works as well. Through all these years he had been honing his various expressive skills in the arts, with his desire to create works of art steadily intensifying until finally, culminated in this current exhibition.
Mr.Morimoto is a native of Mariana, Rota Island, which is near Guam in the Southwest group of islands. This, I believe, had a great influence on his artistic sensibilities. He has a deep interest in the modeling characteristics of the Polynesian group that created the Moai stone sculpture, and the group of large stone sculpture found on Rodas Island that is included as one of the World’s Seven Wonders. Furthermore, there is feeling of veneration towards the numerous historic ruins and other legacies left throughout the world by mankind. And all of these, I believe, are reflected in the simple expressiveness of Mr.Morimoto’s current works. Another things is that Mr.Morimoto is tall and has a good posture. He cuts a striking figure, his white beard lending him the air of a mountain hermit. Standing tall and straight, he exudes a mysterious sense of presence. “Vertical standing,” an expression that crops up in his current work, hints at the universe, emphasizing the directionality of this suggestion, and in this is revealed the artist’s formative consciousness. Furthermore,there is a deep interest in the mythology of the “Seihitsu” (Ark), which is said to protect the sacred objects of Ethiopita, and other mysteries surrounding the ark. That the artist would create works entited “The Man Who Protects the Ark,” or ” The Man Who Protects Miracles,” gets us in touch with one facet of a simple psychology, what is concealed within the inner spirit. As for me, they overlap with the standing figure of the artist himself, and gives me a feeling of strange pleasure.
Recently, I discovered that Mr.Morimoto is a lover of motorcycle, and enjoys the sense of speed. He observes the way people appear as he rides past them on his motorcycle, a perspective that comes through in his art works such as “Night Flight” and others, where the head section is compressed and the profile strongly exaggerated. The way the eyes are set apart from the face, and projected outward into space is quite starling. The evoke a graphical image that is contemporary in its sharpness, quite in contrast to the apparent simplicity of their expressions. I believe that what is at work is a psychological state within the artist resonating with super realistic modes of expression. Another feature of his construction of metal boards into flat surfaces, and his use of contrasting materials. In one image of a seated Buddha, Mr.Morimoto attempts to give multiple expression to complex meanings that surface through his aesthetic sensibilities. In its background we can sense the feeling of longing and adoration for the grace and elegance of Botticelli’s “Madonna del Magnigicat,” famous as an image of the goddess of love and beauty, or as the symbolic expression of the worship of the Virgin. That feeling then is superimposed onto the image of Madame M., the subject of Balzak’s work, “Le Lys Dan La Vallee,” a paean to women. Mr.Morimoto has beautifully grasped this opportunity to create these three-dimensional pieces, and it is my sincerest desire that he continue to further develop and direct his passion for modeling, to synthesize, through his keen creative powers of constructing works that use the contrastive relationships of disparate elements in close proximity, and may his art continue to bear fruit into works of supreme quality.
[ Tokyo Zoukei University President ]
Moriguchi Yo
The art museum attached to the Tokyo Zoukei University was originally established as basically a venue where works by the Italian contemporary sculptor Giacomo Manzu could be held in permanently exhibition. There has, however, been a call to actively use the museum for exhibits planned and sponsored by the university, and not limit it to displaying the works of Manzu. So far, exhibitions of other artists have included “Kimura Digital Camera” (1988), “Wilkhern Chair” (1998), “The Uchida Shigeru Memory Method” (1999), “Ootsuji Seiji and 15 Photographers” (1998). These exhibits were all made possible through the active promotion on the part of the university teaching staff. The character of the art museum seemed to change with each new exhibit, each new show lending it a fresh feel and a vast new sense of space. In point of fact, only when a display can engage the interest and concern of the observer can it ever manifest its luster and beauty in the true sense of the world. The result has been a transformation of the art museum into an active, lively space. In that sense, the exhibition of Mr.Hiromitsu Morimoto’s works holds a very deep significance. Although the memorial exhibition is on the occasion of his retirement, I believe that it would not be considered improper if we allow it ti serve a purpose beyond that objective. In fact, I think that it should be positioned and treated as an event that will greatly lend luster to the prestige of the university art museum.
[ Chairman of the Art Museum Committee ]
Sato Seiko
Mr. Morimoto graduated from Tokyo Art University Sculpture Department in 1958, and finished his master of arts in sculpture in 1960. Although I was studying metalwork at the same time period, we did not have any contact back then. It was after 1960 that I met Mr. Morimoto, and at the time our association began, he was still a student of sculpture. Back then, there were no classes in stone sculpture, and only two classes were offered, a modeling class by Mr. Ishii, and the other, a wood sculpture by Mr. Hiraguchi. I will comment on this a litter later. When the art school that was the forerunner of Tokyo Art University was first established, there were only wood sculpture classes available. It was after 1893 that classes in wood, stone, and ivory sculpture were introduced, and the modeling course began from 1897. Eventually, ivory sculpture classes disappeared from the curriculum, followed also in 1908 by lessons in stone sculpting. By the way, old records show that Bousou Houjou and Tawara Couseki taught stone sculpture. Tsuruzou Ishii exposed his students to a vigorous training that tought them to delve beyond superficial realism, emphasizing not the surface, but the movements that arise from within, and on the skeletal framework that support these movements. Before 1955, and before Mr. Morimoto completed the courses taught by Tsuruzou Ishii, sculpture courses were added to the cutticulum of the sculpture department. Thus, a considerable amount of time elapsed before “stone” was introduced to the university. The person who would be teaching these classes on stone sculpture was to be Mr. Morimoto’s second mentor, Mr. Kametaro Amashi. Since records show that Mr. Hiragushi retired at around that time, to be rep raced by Mr. Kazuo Kikuchi, can we assume that Mr. Kikuchi was responsible for inviting “the stone” to the university? Mr. Morimoto tackled the lessons with enthusiasm. He spent a long time working and struggling with the stone, whose resistance was transmitted to him through the chisel. Eventually, when his feelings depended, he would sense within the stone a shift, a response, a receptivity, to the approach of completion. It was through this struggle, this inner work, as well as out of gratitude to his mentor, that he was able to make his teacher’s artistry and technique his own. From 1960, for several years, Mr. Morimoto trained at Akashi Stone Construction Art Research Center. This center gave birth to many sculptors whose principal medium was the stone. Those who knew Mr. Akashi call hem the “Master Artisan” of the Showa period. I am narrating things out of sequence here, but Mr. Morimoto’s first and beloved teacher, Mr. Ishii, retired from Tokyo Art University in March 1959. If we consider this, then we can well imagine how his feelings of exaltation for Mr. Akashi — and through him the stone — must have reached the highest pitch. But finally, in 1973, his beloved and respected mentor Mr. Akashi passed away. What was to become his posthumous work, Inokashira Kannon, was, in fact, mostly carved by Mr. Morimoto based on his teacher’s model. It must have been more than ten years ago when I first saw the sculpture. I remember that it was on an autumn day, and the sun was beginning to set. The well-shaped statue is in the Tendaishu Daiseiji temple compound, which looks down in Inokashira Benzaiten. Since then, I have visited it many times, but now that the temple has been rebuilt, it has become difficult to go within the grounds. But if you do manage to enter, you will be able to read Mr. Morimoto’s account of his days as an apprentice. It was quite a training. There was, first of all, the early morning cleanup the stones based on their different characteristics, the method of carving words, setting apart the stone lanterns, the Renben Buddha’s sitting on a lotus petaled leafstand, the copy compasses, and the tooth-edged chisels used for the final touch up. It was a lot of hard work. Yet Mr. Morimoto concludes his account with these words: “It was a happy time for me. I think my happiest, most purely blissful days were shared with my teacher.” After that, Mr. Morimoto was to apply the skills and the techniques that he had cultivated in many different spheres of activities. Yet his own expressive work had not yet come into fruition. It goes without saying that throughout a lengthy training, he had continued to muse about the problem of “art”, in particular, he must have contemplated deeply about sculpture. He did so within the context of various movements taking place then within Japanese society as a whole. If we were to focus on one movement, it would be the one the took place after 1957 when the world of design —the word itself took root in post-war Japan — underwent a huge evolution. Within this larger movement, Mr. Morimoto continued to ponder on the position that the art of sculpture should occupy. Finally, he realized that sculpture would attain meaning through what could be summarized into the exoression, “sculpture and society.” or to put it in other words, “the art of modeling and society.” It was from then that Mr. Morimoto began his assiduous overtures into the domain of design. This was a stage that lasted over a long period of time. And now, for the first time, as proof of the life and existence of Mr. Morimoto, his works have been born. The titles have been taken from “The Legend of Seihitsu” and “The Lilies of the Valley,” but the seem to hold a deep meaning for Mr. Morimoto. In any case, I have great expectations of his future artistic activities, and I wish to extend my heartfelt congratulations to him..
[ Metal Artist ]
Imai Shigeyuki
I first met Mr. Morimoto in 1974, when I was given a job as a part-time instrctor at the university where he had just been appointed. Since that was since the first day of my lecture, we must have known each other for some 26 years. Furthermore, from 1983 for six years, we were also associated as fellow lectures through the Department of Architecure college of Industrial technology, Nihon University. Mr. Morimoto is a man of great simplisity; despite his strong inner core, he is a very kind, warn hearted person who loves nature.
Mr.Morimoto’s works in this exhibition center mostly around constructions that rely on wood and brass. The choice of that motif are powerful statements of his unique world of creation. If I may be so presumptuous as to express my personal opinion, I think that the subliminal source of his creativity is fundamentally Eastern in nature. While the genesis if his thought system may be found in the traditional sculptural aesthetics of Michelangelo and others, he assimilated within himself the transition that Western contemporary art underwent, and in the process metamorphosed it and developed it into his own, unique three-dimensional sculptural expression. Another important characteristic is that these creative thoughts have their base in literary and historical references. There were then transformed into a type of symbolism, leading in turn to their “deformation,” and finally, his creative expressions as revealed in his works. I have taken the privilege of elucidating my own opinions just now. But what I do hope is that Mr.Morimoto will seize the opportunity of this exhibition to grow, to develop, to unfold, to continue creating radical works that can soar into a new space and time.
[ Stage performer and composer ]