Untitled (Painted with Akira Kanayama) 1993

Atsuko Tanaka painted this "Untitled" piece, with Akira Kanayama. Look at the intense, flat color, the blue against the red, and the way Tanaka has captured the feeling of pure energy on the canvas! This piece is like a portal into an electric circuit. Imagine her, brush in hand, working and reworking these lines, almost like drawing with paint. She’s feeling her way through this space, finding a way to show something about movement, and what it feels like to be connected through lines. These webs of color, that almost look like veins, remind me of other artists who were also trying to capture the feeling of modern life—all that energy and connectivity! Tanaka is part of this big conversation among painters across time. It’s almost as if they are answering each other! I think that’s why art is so exciting.