Hole Esquisse 1958

Shozo Shimamoto made this painting called *Hole Esquisse* with black ink on paper sometime in the fifties. I'm really taken by the freedom of the splatters and drips. I can feel the artist flinging the ink, embracing chance. I imagine Shozo in his studio, focused, almost meditative, yet full of spontaneous gesture. The interplay of solid marks and delicate splatters creates a powerful energy; the ink bleeds into the paper, staining it, becoming one with it. It’s like the artist surrenders control, letting the medium lead. You see this same process in the work of other action painters like Pollock, and even some of the later Gutai artists. Ultimately, I’m reminded that painting is an exchange, a conversation across time, and a way of making visible the unseen. It is all about intuition, gesture, and a willingness to embrace the unknown.