Eventail 1945

Kenzo Okada made Eventail with paint, and it feels like he was feeling out the space and light as he went. The colors are quiet, mostly oranges and yellows with some greens, but they speak volumes. Okada built up the surface, adding layers that both hide and reveal what’s underneath. Look at the fan shape in the lower part of the canvas, how it emerges from the background but still feels airy and incomplete. The paint isn't too thick or fussy, but soft and chalky like a pastel. There are thin drippy areas where the paint has run, adding a sense of movement and chance. It’s like he’s showing us the process of painting itself, the push and pull between intention and accident. Okada reminds me a little of Milton Avery, someone else who knew how to make a lot out of a little, trusting the power of color to evoke a mood and create a space. Art is always a conversation with what came before and what’s happening now, never just one thing.