Circus In The Square 1987

Hiro Yamagata's "Circus in the Square" seems to come alive through a layering of vibrant colours and meticulous detail. I can imagine Yamagata carefully building the composition from the ground up, adding layer upon layer to create this captivating vision. I wonder what it was like for Yamagata to create such a complex image. I see the materiality of the painting, the flatness of the surface, each element carefully placed to build up into this crazy scene. The textures almost trick the eye with so much to explore. The painting's composition is so playful, especially with the whimsical use of colour and typography in the buildings. It reminds me a little of Leger, with the blocky shapes and almost cartoonish figures all thrown into a hot, glowing space. It’s a fun reminder that artists are always participating in a visual conversation across time, inspiring each other. I see the joy in the work, but also the ambiguity and uncertainty that is integral to the creative process, with no one single interpretation being correct.