Japanese abstract artist Chiyu Uemae described his life’s work as being “dedicated to absorbing new artistic styles and pursuing my own unique approach to painting.” He was a founding member of the Gutai group, a radical postwar avant-garde art collective. Uemae’s work emphasized materiality, creating compellingly rough surface textures by combining sawdust, wood chips, and debris from his studio with paint. His work is characterized by a meticulous method of application, using carefully calibrated brushstrokes to build layers of paint into a shimmering impasto. Over time, Uemae explored a variety of media, creating sculptures, textile art, and woodblock prints.

–Erica Bogese, from the Glenstone Field Guide