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Lesson 4 Taro's Suns Look Toward World Peace
Part 1
Among the many works by Okamoto Taro, two are especially
作品
outstanding due to the scales of their sizes and of their impacts on
…のために because of
目立つ
viewers. Tower of the Sun is a huge monument which stands in
見物人
Expo '70 Commemorative Park in Osaka. It is 70 meters high and
記念
20 meters in diameter at its base. In Tokyo, there is a mural named
直径
壁画
Tomorrow's Mythology, 5.5 meters in height and 30 meters in width,
図富士
関係代
神話(学)
which is on permanent exhibit in Shibuya Station. What are the
常設する 展示
messages these art works send us today?
Okamoto Taro was born in 1911 as the eldest son of manga artist
…として
F
Okamoto Ippei and tanka poet and novelist Okamoto Kanoko. He
歌人
writer
ta
entered Tokyo Fine Arts School in 1929, but soon left for Europe
After his parents returned to Janan, Taro
with his parents.
remained alone in Paris to continue his studies there.
ten years, he was active in the art world of Paris.
-in Paris
For about
期間
Okamoto was searching for a direction in which to proceed. In the
€ #83 look for 方向性
前に進む
summer of 1932, he came across a work by Pablo Picasso.
出会う
Okamoto felt the urge to confront and overcome Picasso all the more
Kh
1であるため、一層~
Instead of copying
越える
because he was deeply moved by Picasso.
Picasso, Okamoto began his own quest for a new style of abstract
追求する
抽象的な
painting. He drew attention for being accepted as the youngest
理由
member of a group of abstract artists called Abstraction-Création.

ページ2:

o
Tower of the Sun
=
a huge monument
Tam
high
in Expo no commemorative Park in Osaka
20m wide
5.5m
in height
30mm in width
Tomorrow's mythology
a mural
in Shibuya station.
Okamoto was searching for
-look
a direction (in which to proceed.)
R
= in which he should proceed
Okamoto felt the urge to confront and overvome
wanted
Picasso
all the more because he was deeply moved by Picarse
all the wt because
中中 (感情)
(…であるために一層)
be +

ページ3:

Part 2
Eventually, Okamoto's interests extended beyond the issues of color
6-finaly
問題=problem
を探して
伸びる
and form. In search of something with more “sense of reality,” he
を持った
現実感
produced Wounded Arm and broke away from purely abstract
純粋
・・・からかけ離れる
painting. This painting caught André Breton's eye and was
の目にとまる。
submitted to the International Surrealist Exhibition held in 1938.
提出する hair in
~ either.
But Okamoto did not take part in the surrealist movement either.
参加する
~もまたでない
= partiabater in
運動
Struck by the beauty of folk arts from around the world, he
分詞構文 (
民族芸術
美しさ
concentrated on studying ethnology and philosophy at the
…に集中する
民族学
哲学
University of Paris rather than painting pictures.
In 1940, when war was approaching Paris, Okamoto returned to
関係詞(限定)
近づく
帰る
Japan, where he resumed artistic activities at the end of 1946. He
関係代名詞
再び始める
criticized the Japanese art world for remaining the same over the
批評する
years.
理由
He referred to this as “the Stone
Age of painting.”
・を~と称する =the Japanese artworld 石器
時代
By
turning discords between opposing elements into energy, he
不調和
対立する
要素
AをBに変える
presented noteworthy works one after another, including Heavy
提示する
顕著な
Industry and Law of the Jungle.
を含めて
In 1954, Okamoto wrote a controversial book titled Art Today.
Many people were shocked by his
good.
「上手
論争を引きおこす
“Art today should not be
It should go by his stating, fAr
Art today
not be pretty.
きれい
It should not be pleasant.”
心地いい
However, that was not to say that Okamoto maintained that art
=Art Today ~ be pleasant
言う= stated
ということ
should be clumsy, dirty and unpleasant. He persistently expressed
心地悪い
じっこく
his doubts about art's being "good," "pretty" and "pleasant."
所有動名詞の意味上の主語
According to him, “beauty” had to be something (that shook the
viewer's values.
関係詞 隠れ動く

ページ4:

Wounded arm
sense of reality
Struck by the beauty of folk arts (from around the world.)
moved by
民芸品
he concentrated on
studying
rather then painting picture
・に集中する
・よりむしろ
By turning discords
N
into
energy.
~することにより、
a controversial book titled Art Today.
Art today should not be good.
clumsy
It
should not be pretty.
J
dirty
It
should not be pleasant. unpleasant
←
beauty something that shook people's values.

ページ5:

Part 3
The theme of the Japan World Exposition (held in Osaka in 1970 was
“Progress and Harmony for Humankind.” Despite being nominated
人類
調和
にもかかわらず
選ばれる。
as producer of the theme space, Okamoto created Tower of the Sun,
聞いとして
= a monument power
a monument overflowing with primitive power, which seemed to be
関係代名詞・非限定
あふれ出る
in conflict with the main theme. The display in the basement of the
対立している
Brogres and Harmony for Humankind. 展示
tower emphasized the primitive aspect of diverse cultures.
追調する
地下
多様な
For
instance, masks, statues, and tools gathered from all around the
集られた
例えば
world were exhibited there. When visitors went into that space,
= in the basement.
the basement
they were able to feel the atmosphere of ceremonies carried out by
雰囲
儀式
shamans.
まじない
実行する
The great powers of Europe and America had often used world
Country
expositions to show off their strength and to promote colonialism.
促進する
見せびらかす
植民地主義
In response to this, Okamoto tried to produce a site of energy (where
場所
関係
これに反応して
all people could participate equally and express contradictions that
they felt.
同時に
参加する
矛盾
Along with preparations for Expo '70, Okamoto was working on
取りかかる
another grand project. He had been requested to produce a huge
過去完了
mural for a lobby in a hotel in Mexico. Sympathizing with the
感
powerful art and view of life and death of the Mexicans, he chose a
分詞構
the tas
theme totally unsuitable for a hotel lobby. He portrayed a skeleton
似つかわしくない
描く
骸骨
burnt by an atomic bomb. However, at the same time, he also
expressed the human force (trying to overcome the tragedy of the
悲劇 comedy
こくふくする
atomic bomb.) The mural was named Tomorrow's Mythology.

ページ6:

The theme of the Expo
H
Progress and Hermory
for humankind
In conflict
with
basement
primitive
power
In response to this, Okamoto tried to produce amaitsmed
energy where all people could participate equally and
& 関係副詞
express contradictions that they felt.
a mura
30m
関係機名詞
Tomorrow's Mythology
a
skelton burnt by atmic bomb.
5.5m

ページ7:

Part 4
Men Aflame, the work that preceded Tomorrow's Mythology, was
以前に
える人
同格
inspired by a terrible incident. A Japanese fishing boat became a
てられる
・出来事
victim of a thermonuclear weapon test on Bikini Island in 1954.
#44
水素爆弾
Another work, Moment, illustrated the violent explosion of an atomic
爆発
とてもvery
bomb and showed how keenly interested Okamoto was in the issue
-problem
of the nuclear threat. At the time of the Vietnam War, he provided
**
共編
the handwritten manuscript "Don't Kill" for an opinion ad in The
原線
Washington Post.
広告
Tower of the Sun has three suns: the white sun in front stands for
the present, the golden sun on top symbolizes the future, and the
現在
black sun in back looks back on the past. The black sun represents
ふりかえる。
a manmade sun, or atomic bomb, which destroys human beings.
Ia
すなわち
関係代名詞
In contrast, in Tomorrow's Mythology, the skeleton (roaring with
対照的に
ほえている。
laughter doesn't look backward. This figure symbolizes human
負ける
うしろ
beings who don't surrender to nuclear disasters and are capable of
laughing at their perils.
…ができる
Okamoto confronted society through his artistic works. However,
直面する
his message was not simply antiwar or antinuclear. It was not only
五戦
5
=simply
a peace demonstration that had become a formality, either. Rather,
運動
鳴る
形化
もまた~どない むしろ
時代
his works ring out a powerful message of life in this age of nuclear
proliferation.
核散している
Okamoto Taro died in 1996. In his later years, he was more or less
用かれ少なかれ
ignored by the art world, but it is remarkable how he has been
re-appreciated since his death.
再評価する
message in our time?
再注目される
What is your reaction to Okamoto's
白応

ページ8:

Men Aflame
Aire
a
ferrible
incident
=
th
1954
Moment
t
the violent explosion of
an
atmic bomb
showed how keenly interested Okamoto was in the issue of the~
Lokamoto was very interested
sun
L
golden
the future
keenly
O
in the issue.
menmode sun
front
white sun
the present
20
back
atomic bomb
11
black sun
the past