The Art of Baron Yoshimoto by Baron Yoshimoto

The Art of Baron Yoshimoto by Baron Yoshimoto

This is the new ground of Gekiga artist Baron Yoshimoto

From Baron Yoshimoto's vast collection of works from his 60-year career ranging from Gekiga (comics aimed at adult audiences with a dramatic and cinematic style and more mature themes) and illustrations to paintings on paper and canvas, this book introduces 120 artworks from his entire career. For the first time ever, this book collects Yoshimoto's works from the 1980s, when he spent time in the US. Works from exhibitions under the name "Ryu Manji" in the 1990s and works from Yoshimoto's live drawing event done in collaboration with Katsuya Terada are showcased, as well. As a Gekiga illustrator and a painter, readers will enjoy Baron Yoshimoto's life and work from various aspects. A rare and important interview with Katsuya Terada is included as a special feature.

Baron Yoshimoto was born on November 11, 1940, in Manchukuo (now northeastern China) and raised in Kagoshima prefecture (on the southern Japanese island of Kyushu). He studied western painting at Musashino Art University in Tokyo before starting his career as a book illustrator. But, he soon grew infatuated with Gekiga art (adult-oriented comics with a dramatic and cinematic style and more mature topics) and began working as a Gekiga artist under the moniker Baron Yoshimoto. He was a key figure in Japan's golden age of the Gekiga movement, which lasted from the 1960s to the 1970s. The Jyukyoden series, Yoshimoto's most famous work, began in 1970 and lasted ten years. It is regarded as one of the most significant Gekiga titles of the 1970s.

In 1980, he moved to the United States and changed his style from Gekiga to art painting, entering a completely new realm as an artist. He worked for Marvel Comics on projects like the Savage Swords of Conan series (In the Desert of Dreams), and he became great friends with Stan Lee. Under the pseudonym Ryu Manji, he actively made many artworks and participated throughout numerous exhibits in the 1990s. He began painting on canvas in the 2000s, and his paintings grew in size.

He was named Commissioner for Cultural Affairs in 2003, and he traveled to Sweden to introduce and propagate Japanese Manga culture. Nils Ekström, one of his students at the time, went on to become a manga artist in Japan. In 2004 and 2006, he was invited to San Diego Comic-Con. Yoshimoto released Trouble Maker from Retrofit Comics in the United States in 2018, which collects Gekiga works from his early years.

From the 3rd of January to the 31st of March 2019, the Yayoi Museum in Tokyo will host an exhibition of Baron Yoshimoto's works to commemorate his 60th year as an artist. In addition, he has been invited to the Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2020.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9784756251718
ISBN 10	4756251714
Title	The Art of Baron Yoshimoto
Author	Baron Yoshimoto
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Pie International Co., Ltd.
Year published	2019-09-01
Number of pages	184
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.