Hillside 1954

Kazuo Nakamura made this painting, Hillside, using oil on board. Look at these greens! A real hillside, I mean, where does it begin or end? It’s a gradual transition, almost like Nakamura worked with thin washes to build up these subtle shifts. Then, bam, these tight, black, structural lines grid it all out. A painter’s back and forth, right? Like a push and pull between freedom and control. I love how the surface isn't overworked. You can almost see the ghost of his process. It feels immediate, like he’s chasing an idea. These greens, they create a soothing feeling of nature, but those lines, they almost feel like an architectural plan. Maybe, in Nakamura's work, nature and architecture are just different sides of the same coin. He reminds me a bit of Agnes Martin, but with an organic twist. Both exploring the grid, but Nakamura roots it in the landscape. It's like the conversation between artists just keeps blooming!