SUMMER 2007 MUSEUM OF CONTEMPORARY ART TOKYO
The Kazuo Oga Exhibition.
Crowds throng the museum halls.
How many knew Kazuo Oga's name before this exhibition?
This little-known artist works at the boundary of art and craft.
What makes his work so fascinating?
Is it because of such animated hits as "My Neighbor Totoro"?
That must be part of it.
But is that the only reason?
To discover more, we spoke with four people.
His longtime colleague, director Isao Takahata.
Art historian Nobuo Tsuji, who sees Oga's work for the first time.
Ghib/I artist Na 0 ya Tanaka, who has worked alongside Oga for years.
And his mentor, Shichiro Kobayashi.
What amazes me is that Oga has little formal art training.
He had little instruction in drawing or sketching.
How did he achieve this?
The work produced by Hayao Miyazaki and myself...
...was unusual in the history of animation art.
Without Oga, I think our work would have been very different.
There's really no detail at all in this area.
I think part of Oga's technique is that he uses instinct...
...to calculate compositions like this.
His work seems detailed and meticulous...
...but when you look closely, it's rough.
He uses one touch, single brush strokes.
It's very powerful.
These four guests will help us understand Kazuo Oga's appeal.
Let's explore the magic of Kazuo Oga and animation background art.
ISAO TAKAHATA ANIMATION DIRECTOR
I thoroughly enjoyed this exhibition.
I was concerned his art might not come across well in this format.
But luckily I was wrong.
Each work is very accessible.
It's so rare to experience an exhibition without getting tired.
I know, because I attend lots of them.
Oga's work gives you a good feeling.
As you look at his work, you're drawn into his world.
That's the pleasure, that desire to keep looking.
You don't often get the chance to experience that.
I'm convinced that this exhibition is a very precious opportunity.
OGA'S WORK ON "MY NEIGHBOR TOTORO"
"Totoro" was my first encounter with Oga's art.
In the story, a little girl loses her way in the countryside.
The appearance of the landscape changes rapidly as the sun sets.
Oga brilliantly depicted the transition from day to evening.
It made me realize just how talented he is.
I myself had been wanting to create something...
...that faithfully depicted the power of nature.
That's exactly what "Totoro" was about.
"My Neighbor Totoro" was such an impressive achievement.
Oga's art was a big part of that.
His work made a deep impression on me.
Naturally, I've always admired the director, Hayao Miyazaki.
That goes without saying. It's nothing new.
But I was quite impressed when I first saw Oga's art.
Later I seem to recall congratulating him on his work.
I didn't know him well then.
The work produced by Hayao Miyazaki and myself...
...was unusual in the history of animation art.
So what did we do that was different?
In animation you can control everything.
So you usually try to create a total world.
A complete universe within the frame of a drawing.
That's how everyone approaches it. I'm sure that's how Disney did it.
We took a different approach.
We wanted to depict reality, just as it is.
To convey the appeal of a real environment...
...we had to give it a sense of immediacy.
We wanted to bring the world around us into the story.
We weren't trying to create a separate world.
BRINGING REALITY INTO THE WORLD OF THE FILM
In "Only Yesterday"...
...I wasn't trying to create some kind of fantasy world.
The heroine travels to the Japanese countryside...
...and is deeply moved by that environment.
I had to create the same reaction in the audience.
I asked Oga to help me create the right backgrounds.
From the start, I had to make audiences feel...
...as if they had actually stepped into that natural environment.
Once Oga and I agreed how we wanted to proceed...
...I left everything completely up to him.
The present-day scenes were a compromise, though.
That part of the film was tough for him.
Afterward, I think he felt the backgrounds were too detailed.
But film making is a matter for the production team as a whole.
Sometimes there are difficult choices to make.
Personally, I didn't think the backgrounds were too elaborate.
I thought they were well executed.
The cel animation was also very detailed.
It was much more detailed than anything before.
I thought the combination worked extremely well.
WHICH BACKGROUNDS DO YOU ESPECIALLY LIKE?
Well, these backgrounds were all created for films.
It's hard to choose a particular work.
The works right here are good, and others as well.
Look here - an old temple. Thatched roofs. Dry grass.
With a few simple elements, this stands alone as a work of art.
It's really amazing.
Wait - is that a plum tree?
That looks more like a peach tree than a plum.
Oga will be mad at me.
But it looks like a peach tree. Though it's too early in the season.
Oh well...
OGA'S BACKGROUNDS FOR "POM POKO"
Raccoons are very drab animals, the color of earth or dry grass.
They use the environment to conceal themselves.
We needed environments that were appropriate for them.
Thatched roofs, a temple roof, a stone lantern...
We needed to make the environment seem hospitable for raccoons.
Seeing Oga's images and the film, you end up liking the real thing.
Audiences shouldn't get fixated on what they see in a film.
In a sense, films are meant to entrance audiences.
But we weren't trying to depict a lost environment.
This environment still exists. It's still appealing.
Oga doesn't try to overwhelm people with his vision.
He doesn't say, "This is my world, isn't it amazing?"
Clearly, Oga's art is not about that.
He also doesn't try to say "Look how real this is."
"These images are so real. Aren't you impressed?"
How can I put this? Oga is like an interpreter...
...who reveals to the audience what is appealing about reality.
I think Oga has a wonderful ability to do this.
NOBUO TSUJI, PROFESSOR EMERITUS UNIV. OF TOKYO, TAMA ART UNIV.
I already had a general sense from looking through the catalog.
But the actual works exceeded my expectations.
It's like encountering someone who has escaped attention.
Perhaps an artisan, rather than an artist.
I was impressed that this person working behind the scenes...
...could create images with the impact of works of art.
It was a very refreshing experience for me.
Oga puts everything he has into his work.
He has a very unaffected style.
He is meticulous down to the last fine detail.
For example, this tin roof is covered in dust.
He depicts the dust in great detail.
He doesn't achieve this by using different textures.
Somehow you can see this is dust just by looking at the image.
That is really quite something.
These dilapidated buildings are a background from "Pom Poko".
This is where the raccoons got together for meetings.
I doubt there was an abandoned building exactly like this.
This must be his concept based on a sketch of some building.
Each piece of rubbish is rendered in painstaking detail.
The result is very rewarding for the viewer.
The overall effect doesn't feel heavy.
Instead, the fine detail creates a sense of lightness.
It works well as background art.
Oga works in the background with restraint and refinement.
WHICH THEMES DOES OGA EXCEL AT?
His skies are especially fine.
This image of the sky at dusk is so beautiful.
So is the way the forest reflects light from the sky.
He omits nothing. He details everything.
It's as if he were painting a real location.
But I doubt this location really exists.
I think Oga painted this from his imagination.
What amazes me is that Oga has little formal art training.
He had little instruction in drawing or sketching.
How did he achieve this?
I suspect the clouds Oga saw in his childhood were very memorable.
That's the feeling I get.
In paintings like this, the clouds seem alive.
It's as if he were seeing them with his own eyes.
His depiction of clouds is wonderful.
OGA'S WORK IN THE CONTEXT OF ART HISTORY
I think the person his work most calls to mind...
...is the great 19th century artist Hiroshige.
Hiroshige kept returning to images of Edo's famous places.
Of course, that was partially thanks to the demands of his publisher.
Some of his work is deliberately showy.
But for the most part it is unpretentious and realistic.
Still, Hiroshige's work was not based on location sketches.
He drew on his imagination to create his images.
His vision is very unpretentious.
He approaches his subject with great humility.
There's a sense of modesty, of humbleness toward the natural world.
That way of seeing is something both artists have in common.
I think everyone is drawn to art that speaks truthfully.
Art that conveys feelings locked inside the heart.
Art that is unpretentious, art that is unaffected.
Yet at the same time...
...the more you look at it, the more art reveals.
Even those who only care for the avant garde...
...can't help liking this kind of art.
ANIMATION ART AS THE SUBJECT FOR A LARGE EXHIBIT
I think it's very positive.
One would expect an exhibit to consist of standalone works.
But these works are inseparable from animated films.
These are works that can't be presented in isolation.
I think this sort of exhibit is a positive thing.
Oga's work also reminds me of Japanese picture scroll art.
Each image in a picture scroll corresponds to a scene in the story.
Such illustrations have the character of animation background art.
In the exhibit hall, most of the visitors...
...enjoy recalling specific scenes as they examine each work.
It seems very similar to the enjoyment one gets from picture scrolls.
The experience is a bit like being caught off guard.
For example, let's say you go to see a play.
There are gorgeous costumes and lots of showy actors.
Afterward you see something quite ordinary.
An old man walking along the road.
Or the way a child looks.
Full of life, simple, unaffected.
There are times when that sort of thing...
...really makes an impression on you.
I suppose a person like me, who likes embellishment...
...might find this sort of art to be a bit plain.
But it doesn't strike me that way.
NAOYA TANAKA STUDIO GHIBLI ART DEPARTMENT
Oga's observational skills are amazing.
He grasps the characteristics of form instantly.
The way he uses his brush to express his vision is so decisive.
Perhaps he isn't always sure of himself.
But when you watch him at work...
...he seems to handle his brush decisively and precisely.
Yet his work has great warmth.
That warmth is present in every image he creates.
AN IMPRESSIVE EXAMPLE OF OGA'S STYLE?
Early in "Princess Mononoke".
It's late afternoon in the Emishi village.
It must be late spring or early summer, by the look of the foliage.
It's the season when the green of foliage is intense.
But since it's near sunset the light has this yellow tinge.
There's little detail, yet everything feels so real, so pristine.
Before "Princess Mononoke"...
...Oga worked as art director on "Pom Poko".
I was impressed with the difference in his approach for "Mononoke".
It was extremely simple and refined.
HOW DOES OGA ABBREVIATE DETAIL?
For example, he doesn't detail these branches in the distance.
Rather than adding lots of needless detail...
...this is really the best way to depict distant subjects.
Especially with a composition like this.
The point of the composition is the contrast between near and far.
There's really no detail at all in this area of the background.
That's what is needed here.
I think part of Oga's technique is that he uses instinct...
...to calculate compositions like this.
Instead of carefully calculating his composition, he uses his senses...
...to instantly grasp the essential elements.
The rest of us usually feel insecure if we skimp on details.
We get nervous and keep adding more brush strokes, more detail.
Oga might add one or two brush strokes.
On top of that, he gets the colors right from the beginning.
They go straight to the paper from his brush.
So he almost never has to go back later...
...and add more brush strokes to correct the colors.
That means he can work quickly. That's how he does it.
HOW DOES ONE PREPARE TO CREATE ANIMATION BACKGROUNDS?
One way is to spend lots of time observing things along the roadside.
Look at things along the shoulder of the road.
You'll see asphalt, telephone poles, a wall.
Normally you wouldn't ever pay attention to such details.
You take notice of how each form presents itself...
...and build up a stock of these impressions.
That's the sort of thing you do at the very outset.
WHAT IS THE FOUNDATION OF OGA'S ART?
Even when Oga is painting something very solid and substantial...
...you get an impression of lines that are never quite straight.
Even individual straight lines are never straight.
Instead, lines seem to have a kind of warmth to them.
For example, even with a row of houses...
...there's warmth in the way he visualizes them.
This applies to everything - vegetation, clouds, the sky, the ground.
SHICHIRO KOBAYASHI KOBAYASHI PRODUCTION
YOUR FIRST IMPRESSION OF OGA?
No definite impression at first, but he was extremely quiet.
That's all.
But he was very unusual.
He immediately showed what he was capable of.
He progressed extremely quickly.
IT IS SAID YOU TAUGHT OGA THE FUNDAMENTALS
That's what some say.
I only taught him a few basic things.
But I always stress the connection between life and work.
It's an outlook that affects everything you do.
What's really important are your actions, how you think.
I always insist that people reflect this in the images they create.
I really pound it in.
But most people want to learn. They want to be taught.
In other words, they want answers.
What I care about is what they bring to the job.
Their attitudes, the way they think.
That's my way.
HOW DO YOU DIRECT ARTISTS?
What I do is try to make sure...
...that I don't stand in the way of the artists.
My job is to support the artists.
When I see something good, I push them to do more of the same.
It was the same with Oga.
I'd often say, that's great, better than my work.
Supporting the artist's strong points helps me too.
The work, a single image, is the most important thing.
The aim is to achieve the best results.
I never tell the artists...
...they must follow my concepts, or adhere to my methods.
I just determine the general direction we will follow.
I might have an image board or some samples...
...to give a rough idea of the concept.
Even then, it's just a point of departure.
I give each artist the freedom to take their own approach.
I always encourage the artists to adopt a trial and error approach.
WHAT "TOUCH" DID YOU TEACH THE ARTISTS?
Just that - one touch, single lines.
Artistic expression should be unambiguous, like verbal expression.
Now with photorealism, you don't want evidence of the human touch.
It's a big mistake to think we should smooth out...
...all evidence of the human touch, of the artist's brush.
That's what cameras are for.
Animation is about people.
Just as individual words form a message...
...the traces of each brush stroke add up to form an image.
They add up and build on each other.
I think that's the essence of expression.
His work seems detailed and meticulous...
...but when you look closely, it's rough.
He uses a single touch, single brush strokes.
I think that's why his work projects such power.
"The Adventure of Gamba" was a great example.
WHAT DO YOU HOPE TO SEE OGA ACCOMPLISH IN THE FUTURE?
I'd like to see him create work that is uniquely his.
I'd like him to use bolder abstraction.
He has that talent. I hope he makes the most of it.
That will make his work even more powerful.
Furthermore, I'd really like to encourage him...
...to develop his brushwork to the limit.
Brushwork is the product of human action.
It's the fundamental basis of the action of painting.
I'd like to see him throw caution to the wind.
I hope he'll paint with abandon, straight from the heart.
HOW DOES ONE LEARN TO PAINT LIKE OGA?
You could study techniques extensively.
But if all you do is study technique...
...you probably won't be able to achieve the kind of colors Oga gets.
Imitating Oga would be pointless.
If you want to paint nature subjects...
...you should spend a lot of time surrounded by nature.
And don't just observe - sketch what you see.
Make the fundamentals part of your life.
I doubt someone raised in the city could produce this kind of work.
By nature, this is not a skill you can teach.
Nowadays, not many artists can sketch.
But Oga still sketches a lot. That's the key.
It's very rare these days.
WHY ARE OGA'S ANIMATION BACKGROUNDS SO APPEALING?
In this exhibition, Oga's work is presented as standalone art.
We see his works framed, like tableau paintings.
But as backgrounds, they were not meant to be seen that way.
Their sole purpose is to serve as backgrounds.
For a tableau painter, a painting is a complete work.
He strives to compel the viewer to look at it.
Therefore, the image must be compelling.
A watercolor painter would use thick layers of opaque colors.
In contrast, Oga seems to avoid this approach.
Perhaps it's a strange way to put it, but his images aren't forceful.
In "Pom Poko", the raccoons are the heroes of the story.
We wanted to make a story about their lives.
A comical story, but bittersweet as well.
But what we wanted the audience to retain in their hearts...
...was a sense of the beauty of rural Japan.
At the same time, we didn't want to be heavy-handed about it.
So we let the landscape speak for itself.
We used a light touch.
Oga is not trying to distinguish himself by being original.
That's the opposite of today's trend.
From that standpoint, it seems to me...
...that focusing on a single artist like Oga may not be appropriate.
Instead, Oga is representative of many like him...
...who labor behind the scenes without recognition.
I doubt Oga himself is seeking publicity as an artist.
I'm sure that's not what he wants.
Naturally his work has artistic value.
But I think he wants his work to be presented as something...
...intended to elicit emotion from audiences.
Oga's job is to ensure ...that each background...
...has the elements needed to do that.
That will deepen people's appreciation of animation itself.
So an exhibition focusing on one artist makes sense.
Animation backgrounds have always been secondary to the characters.
This exhibit is wonderful news.
In all these years, I've never tired of this job.
I'm always wondering, what is the essence of expression?
I want to explore that through animation.
People often say backgrounds should be inconspicuous.
Just garnish for the characters.
Something that shouldn't interfere with the characters.
But I think backgrounds are as important as characters.
Both should convey a message to the audience.
That synergy enhances the quality of the production.
Of that I'm convinced.
In a sense, we background artists are dedicated...
...to depicting ordinary objects and environments.
Yet even if it's just a bit of grass or weeds...
...we want to depict it with feeling.
We're dedicated to making it real, to bringing it to life.
It's not about creating magnificent vistas...
...or stirring landscapes that everyone will praise.
I think that dedication is what makes Oga's work special.
I'd like to add one more thing.
It's my custom to attend many, many exhibitions.
Whenever I hear about an art exhibition, I go see it.
In particular, "contemporary art" is an established genre.
Yet animation background art has not been viewed as modern art...
...at least not during the last half of the 20th century.
This seems very strange.
You know, images possess so much power to communicate.
They have so much influence.
Throughout his work, and in this exhibition...
...Oga has been reminding people everywhere of the power of images.
And his images speak to ordinary people.
Ordinary people don't worry about genres.
But for modern art lovers, it's not so simple.
"Who is this man?"
"Ah, he's an artisan." They need a label.
But I think they miss the point. I know because of my experience.
I want people to understand the power these images have.
And now, the man responsible for these works.
JULY 20, 2007 KAZUO OGA EXHIBITION OPENING
The man who brought Totoro's forest to life.
Kazuo Oga, Studio Ghibli's "image artisan".
Mr. Oga, please.
It's wonderful to see so many people here today.
I'm a bit stunned.
This exhibition of original animation art bears my name.
But such art cannot be created by one person.
It is the work of many individuals, starting with the director.
I hope you'll keep that in mind today.
I'm very grateful for this exhibition devoted to animation art.
And for your giving people the opportunity...
...to see these works up close and to experience them.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved.
Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Oga!
Planning Toshio Suzuki
Written and directed by Tomo Nakanishi
Producers Maiko Yahata, Chikashi Saito
Production TV MAN UNION
English subtitles by AURA
English translation by Jim Hubbert