Uploaded November 2020 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
Takato Yamamoto (b.1960) is a Japanese painter and manga artist. He is most known for developing a unique style that he termed “Heisei aestheticism”, which blends influences from Japanese ukiyo-e painting with Western gothic art to create dark, but beautiful images. His surrealistic and highly detailed works often explore themes of violence, death and sexuality to create unsettling and highly symbolic imagery.
[from: http://www.muddycolors.com/2019/05/ar...]
Megumi Sakai: How did you get to be an artist?
Takato Yamamoto: I drew illustrations for commercial advertising, mainly in the 1980s after graduating from art university. In the 1990s, I had the yearning for UKIYOE to the cut-in illustration book, the work such as cut-in illustrations and cover illustrations of novels, and wanting to draw before increases. After 2000, I mainly worked on original paintings.
What inspires you as an artist? Which inspirations help you to make your stile?
My basic theme is the image of the universe operation that has repeated the circulating generation (life) and dismantlement (death). I express symbolically the image to be a man’s body as the main motif, while taking the image of a plant, an insect, and other various objects.
What is the process in creating one of your illustrations?
The character of the boy or the girl who becomes the face of the work is extracted from among the first hazy images. I multiply to imagine the image from that, and tie the form automatically, and then I start to draw the rough sketch of the line that becomes the blueprint of the work, is then made. After the rough sketch is done, I trace on canvas or paper and then paint.
[from:missmementomori.wordpress.com/2014/01/01/amazing-art-by-takato-yamamoto-2/]
Music: Steve Roach "Present Moment"
Takato Yamamoto (b.1960) is a Japanese painter and manga artist. He is most known for developing a unique style that he termed “Heisei aestheticism”, which blends influences from Japanese ukiyo-e painting with Western gothic art to create dark, but beautiful images. His surrealistic and highly detailed works often explore themes of violence, death and sexuality to create unsettling and highly symbolic imagery.
[from: http://www.muddycolors.com/2019/05/ar...]
Megumi Sakai: How did you get to be an artist?
Takato Yamamoto: I drew illustrations for commercial advertising, mainly in the 1980s after graduating from art university. In the 1990s, I had the yearning for UKIYOE to the cut-in illustration book, the work such as cut-in illustrations and cover illustrations of novels, and wanting to draw before increases. After 2000, I mainly worked on original paintings.
What inspires you as an artist? Which inspirations help you to make your stile?
My basic theme is the image of the universe operation that has repeated the circulating generation (life) and dismantlement (death). I express symbolically the image to be a man’s body as the main motif, while taking the image of a plant, an insect, and other various objects.
What is the process in creating one of your illustrations?
The character of the boy or the girl who becomes the face of the work is extracted from among the first hazy images. I multiply to imagine the image from that, and tie the form automatically, and then I start to draw the rough sketch of the line that becomes the blueprint of the work, is then made. After the rough sketch is done, I trace on canvas or paper and then paint.
[from:missmementomori.wordpress.com/2014/01/01/amazing-art-by-takato-yamamoto-2/]
Music: Steve Roach "Present Moment"
