"何よりも描くことが好きだから。
(I like drawing more than anything else.)"
- Osamu Obi
Source: Osamu Obi
About
It was just last year when a famous painter nestled in Kanagawa, Japan gained unanticipated online international traction for a realism piece he created. Titled as Silent Voice (静寂の声), the art piece posted accumulated 81K likes, a feat greatly unprecedented but still appreciated by Osamu Obi.
With every brush stroke parallel to pixels in a photograph, Osamu has been breathing life into his oil paintings for more than 20 years; creating breathtaking art pieces with an art style more commonly known as realism. His journey into the kaleidoscopic world of art was opened by his father who introduced it to him during high school, which lead him to discover oil painting. Not shying away from the stigma towards jobs in the field of Arts, Osamu attained his Master’s Degree in Musashino Art University during the year 1990 and is currently working as an adjunct lecturer as the same place. He spent a year as well in Paris under the Japanese Government Overseas Study Programme for Artists in order to broaden his view on paintings.
Source: mosaicmagazine, rubenhuis, Sutori, portraitofpainters
Rembrant. Peter Paul Rubens. Antonio Lopez Garcia. Eduardo Naranjo
These are the many artists that were able to fan the spark in Osamu Obi into the flame of passion that can be evidently seen in the dips and crevices of his paintings. Some would say that his muted, earthy tones are nothing compared to the likes of Pablo Picasso and Salvador Dali but the man himself sees not in the colours but in the nuances of everyday life. He captures the hidden treasures in life and records them like how a photographer would, but with paints and brushes instead. Being able to express the intricate details of the scenes surrounding him is what he aims for.
In 1990, Osamu held his first solo exhibition in Shunpudo Gallery, Tokyo, before expanding to Seoul in the year 2007 during the Korea International Art Fair (KIAF). In return for his contributions of raw beauty to the world, he was gifted with many awards, ranging from the grand prize by the Tokyo Central Museum to an Incentive Award from the Minister of Education during the Hakujitsukai Art Exhibition in the year 1991.
“I like drawing more than anything else,” Osamu stated, amidst the intoxicating scents of glue, turpentine and linen from the canvases. Slaving away from months on end towards each of his masterpieces, it is the belief in overcoming language barriers through his works that makes what he does worth it. As his works are done purely based on his feelings and not with the intent to portray a certain message, he is pleased to know that people from the other side of the world are able to understand and capture the same essence of what painting is to him.
