Katsuharu Tano has pursued painting through the relationship between nature and human beings. For him, this has also been a way of asking himself why he paints. Born and raised in Hokkaido, Tano says that it was only after moving to Tokyo that he became conscious of how deeply he had been shaped by the abundant nature of his childhood surroundings. As he began work on his graduation paintings, he experimented with an emphasis on how to paint rather than what to paint. He carefully examined each element: the way paint and solvent mixed, the materials used as supports, and the relationship between the support and the brush. Perhaps this was a kind of ritual through which he could rediscover the sensations of nature he had absorbed. He then sought to paint as naturally as possible, without consciously trying to depict anything in particular.
Light emanates from somewhere, illuminating things that shine in the darkness of night. Animals and plants dance, clothed in light; minerals and flowers drift in succession on the wind; a boat floats on a pond. Painted in soft tones, these dreamlike scenes convey warmth alongside the clarity of cold, crisp air. Looking at them, one is enveloped in a stillness, as though a fleeting glimmer has brought time to a halt. The impression of light has grown stronger than before, but Tano says this reflects an awareness that has turned toward darkness as well as light. By confronting himself and seeking to paint with an unselfconscious mind, the many things accumulated within him have emerged as a wealth of imagery. These paintings are, unmistakably, Tano himself as he is now.