{"id":40022,"date":"2018-03-01T18:52:35","date_gmt":"2018-03-01T23:52:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.artoronto.ca\/?p=40022"},"modified":"2018-03-01T19:40:32","modified_gmt":"2018-03-02T00:40:32","slug":"keita-morimoto-at-nicholas-metivier-gallery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/?p=40022","title":{"rendered":"Keita Morimoto at Nicholas Metivier Gallery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Light Passage<\/em> exhibits a number of Keita Morimoto\u2019s captivating paintings which use light to create a sense of atmosphere and emotion. The artist\u2019s use of Toronto as inspiration is inviting to the local viewer, while his placement of anonymous figures alter that familiarity. Morimoto\u2019s intimate relationship with Toronto breeds a feeling of nostalgia through his diligent representation of the city. His use of light injects drama into the canvases, a technique he learned from studying the Old Masters.<\/p>\n

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Installation view of Keita Morimoto, Light Passage<\/em> with Crossing, (2017, acrylic and oil on linen, 72 x 96 in) at Nicholas Metivier Gallery. Photo: Carolyn Peralta.<\/p>\n

Morimoto produces canvases that reflect the gaze of Torontonians across the city, so the locations of his paintings feel familiar. In “Fruit Market,” a recognizable intersection is captured with a couple in the foreground. It is as if the artist has captured a particular moment; and at the same time showed us how\u00a0 spaces can be altered with the presence of people.<\/p>\n

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Keita Morimoto, Fruit Market, 2017, oil on linen, 60 1\/4″ x 48″. Courtesy of Nicholas Metivier Gallery<\/p>\n

A beautiful small size painting challenges the perception of vast cityscapes. “Viewpoint” showcases the artist\u2019s ability to emanate grandeur on a small scale canvas while demonstrating a sophisticated rendering of light. Overlooking the city, the pink glow of the sky suggests a sunrise along the horizon beyond the depth of the metropolitan core.<\/p>\n

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Keita Morimoto, Viewpoint, 2017, acrylic and oil on panel, 16 x 20 in.\u00a0Courtesy of Nicholas Metivier Gallery<\/p>\n

Morimoto\u2019s night scenes are also intriguing as he uses the glow of light in the nighttime to generate drama on the canvas. As demonstrated in “Arrival,” the illumination of the streetcar entices the viewer to peer into the passenger train, while the figures in the foreground lose focus in the darkness of the night. This harmonious contrast between light and dark is found in several of Morimoto\u2019s paintings, and adds suspense and depth to his works.<\/p>\n

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Keita Morimoto, Arrival, 2017, acrylic and oil on linen,\u00a072 x 96 in.\u00a0Courtesy of Nicholas Metivier Gallery<\/p>\n

The beautiful paintings in Light Passage<\/em> generate a fond recollection of past memories, creating a sense of nostalgia.<\/p>\n

Carolyn Peralta<\/p>\n

*Exhibition information: February 8 – March 3, 2018,\u00a0 Nicholas Metivier Gallery, 451 King Street West, Toronto. Gallery hours: Tue \u2013 Sat, 10 am \u2013 6 pm.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Carolyn Peralta<\/strong><\/p>\n

A harmonious contrast between light and dark is found in several of Morimoto\u2019s paintings, and adds suspense and depth to his works.<\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":40027,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[195,4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-40022","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-carolyn-peralta","category-features"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40022","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=40022"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40022\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40039,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/40022\/revisions\/40039"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/40027"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=40022"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=40022"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/v2.artoronto.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=40022"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}