Untitled 1961

This is an untitled painting by Atsuko Tanaka, part of the Gutai Art Association, an avant-garde group working in post-war Japan. The work is a mass of black circles connected by lines on a white background. The image creates meaning through the visual codes of abstraction. Gutai artists were interested in challenging traditional art institutions and experimented with new materials and techniques, such as performance and installation art. This painting embodies Gutai's rejection of traditional painting, its emphasis on gesture and process, and the exploration of materials. To better understand this piece, we could look at the Gutai Art Association's manifestos and exhibition catalogs, as well as studies of post-war Japanese art and culture. Art is contingent on social and institutional context.