Hironori Kiyoshima, Sculptor of Emotion Extraordinaire by Michael Newberry
Hironori Kiyoshima, one of the exceptional sculptors alive today. A Romanticist, his technical execution is effortless; the arrangement of parts and anatomy pose no problems for him. This talent frees him to explore his vast emotional range.
Hiro feels that merely doing a realistic figure is not enough, there much more to making art. "If someone tries to represent human posture only, it gives us no impression. If their purpose is only represent completely correct posture of human beings, it also gives us no impact."
Romanticism in the visual arts is notable for its intense sensory experience, heightened emotion, celebration of imagination, and preeminent respect for the psychology of the individual. Romanticism differentiates itself from other imaginary genres like Super Hero, Sci-Fi, and surrealism, its goal is to make the art experience feel real -- as if you could actually experience this level of passion in your life. The other genres don't expect you to take their forms literally, rather they know the characters are only symbolic abstractions, which are meant to be comprehended, but not meant to taken seriously.
Two influences for this Japanese artist are Rodin and Haniwa, an ancient form of Japanese funeral sculpture (3rd to 6th century AD). Haniwa was composed primarily of terracotta hollowed figures and objects, made for ritual use and buried with the dead or arranged around grave sites, to protect the deceased in the afterlife. They believed the spirit would reside and be protected within the figures.
He is married with a young son, teaches sculpture, and lives in Kumamoto, Japan. He says: "When people are suffering, they express their pain and sometimes the deepest parts of themselves … I am especially interested in vulnerable people—what their lives are like, what they’re feeling at certain moments. At times this makes my work seem tortured, but more than anything, I try to make sculpture with strong individuality.”
He has had some tragedy in his life, and he is fearless in facing his emotional world and sculpting themes from death and metal illness, to joy, beauty, dance, and poetry. This range of emotion is ever present in his style, execution, and mood of the works.
It is a honor to include Hiro as one of my friends.
If you like his work please follow him on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sculpture_junkie/
Michael Newberry, Idyllwild, 8/7/2020