Takao Tanabe often sets his prairie landscapes during the last light of the day, amidst the first wind before a storm when the colour of land and sky is the closest, or as the first drops of rain look ready to fall from the gathering clouds. His work has often depicted that view, and he notes, “By 1976, I had perfected my prairie landscape.”
“Perfect” is a word often used to describe Tanabe landscapes, and it’s a description, not an opinion.
Drop by the Glenbow at The Edison before November 24 to see the current exhibition of Tanabe’s work and you might notice that these artworks don’t focus on features like traditional European landscapes — there is no draw of the eye to landmarks like mountains, lakes, waterfalls, or wildlife. The lines and colours are balanced in what can only be described as equilibrium. Go see for yourself and become suspended in the aura of contemplation that surrounds this artwork.
In a good-humoured recollection, Tanabe says, “I had an exhibition, and a reviewer in Vancouver said, ‘If you’ve seen one Tanabe, you’ve seen them all.’… And I agree, if you’ve seen one of mine, then you’ve seen them all; what else is there? The prairies that I was painting were flat, as flat a piece a land I could find… the differences were the colour, the mood through use of colour, and the breakup of the land.”
Tanabe describes his <I>plein air<I> process for producing landscape artworks, “Firstly, I’m [on site] making notes and studies for paintings… most of the things I do are just on the backs of envelopes and notepaper, with lots and lots of writing on them about the atmosphere or colour; tonal changes, that sort of thing.”
After his prairie series, Tanabe’s attention shifted to the West Coast.
A 21-minute video also on display at the Glenbow shows Tanabe sketching and reflecting in a West Coast setting.
As Tanabe gazes out across a coastal bay, he says, “What I like about the view is this mud bay at low tide, with accent of rocks and that little spit of brown mud or something sticking right out at a very fine point, and those little black rocks…Look at the way the sand spit goes out into a point, then if you follow that back going along the water’s edge you see another point, just of the water doing the same thing on the other side. And it’s that kind of thing that I would emphasize.”
Tanabe was born in Seal Cove, B.C., in 1926. In 1942, Tanabe and his family were among the Japanese Canadians uprooted and interned during the Second World War in a camp in inland B.C. There he was a labourer, not allowed to continue his education. When the war ended, he began his life on the prairies when he joined siblings in Winnipeg and attended the Winnipeg School of Fine Art in 1946, beginning with a sign painting class. Despite difficult beginnings, Tanabe went on to become a distinguished painter, printmaker, and teacher who is held in high esteem for his contributions to Canadian culture.
Organized by the Kelowna Art Gallery with support from the Canada Council for the Arts, this exhibit celebrates 75 years of Takao Tanabe’s printmaking. It features prairie and coastal print series, five original woodblocks, Christmas cards, newer embossed abstractions, a self-portrait, and more. Many of the artworks have never been publicly displayed before.
With an aim to preserve the colour of these delicate artworks on paper, low levels of light exposure are required. The exhibit is presented in a reverent glow that protects the art and enhances the meditative experience.
Glenbow at The Edison is free and located on the 2nd floor at 150 9 Ave. S.W. Visit glenbow.org to reserve timed tickets for entry.
