Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on February 2010

In India, Spring in Delhi, 1975, oil on canvasTokyo Opera City Art Gallery

Realism is a troubling concept. Behind it lies the assumption that there is some objective “reality” on which we can all agree. Everyday Life, a retrospective of paintings by Masayoshi Aigasa (b. 1939) at the Sompo Japan Museum of Art, shows just how shaky such a premise is. Aigasa, a so-called realist painter, calmly and methodically approaches the world by attempting to paint the ordinary, but the results—street scenes, cityscapes, portraits, zoo animals—create the impression that there is something slightly leftfield or unhinged about normality. Whether it’s because of his unusual color schemes, influenced by traditional Japanese art, or the slightly over-fussy way he handles his various motifs, Aigasa is able to create an impression of someone paying close attention but still remaining distant—an artistic alienation that mirrors the disjunction many feel in the present age.

Sompo Japan Museum of Art
Masayoshi Aigasa. Everyday Life. Painting. Until Feb 21, free (MS and under)/¥300 (HS, univ)/¥500 (general). 42F 1-26-1 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku. Tel: 03-5405-8686. Open Tue-Sun 10am-6pm, closed Mon. Nearest stn: Shinjuku. www.sompo-japan.co.jp/museum