Japanese artist Sadamasa Motonaga developed a passion for manga as a child, a passion that would remain throughout his life and artistic production. In the early 1950s, Motonaga exhibited an artwork at the Ashiya City Art Association’s annual exhibition, during which he encountered abstract art for the first time. This proved to be a significant moment, prompting his own shift toward abstraction which drew him to the Gutai group. After joining Gutai in 1955, Motonaga continued to experiment, using amorphous materials such as water and smoke. Sakuhin (Work), 1962, in Glenstone’s collection, exemplifies a technique the artist developed in which various bright colors of paint are poured onto the canvas in layers, achieving a dramatic depth that renders the paint sculptural.

–Kaylie Ngai, from the Glenstone Field Guide