A couple weeks ago, I went to Kyoto to see an art exhibition. I'd been looking forward to seeing the art show since I saw a flyer featuring the artist's work. Even though it was just a printed image on a piece of paper, the painting looked already very unique, which was a drunken Western old man's portrait. It felt as if the drunken man in the painting was trying to say something to me.

Today, I'd love to introduce a Japanese painter named Rei Kamoi. He was born in Ishikawa Prefecture in 1928. After graduating from an art academy, he moved to Spain, where he painted a lot of drunkards and elderly women.

Since photography wasn't allowed inside the exhibition, I bought the catalog and took some pictures from it to share them with you here.

Kamoi himself was a heavy drunker and smoker. His father was also a heavy drunker.

After Kamoi passed away, a clown painting on an easel was found in his painting studio.

One of his signature subjects was drunken men, and the painting below is a great example. I'd never seen such a unique painting before, and I was impressed by this painting. The old drunken man in the painting looks like he hardly walks straight. He looks very drunk. This painting makes me think why he was drinking so much. Maybe he wanted to forget something painful? Why did Kamoi found interest painting drunken people? Did he see himself through these drunkards?

The painting in the picture below is his self-portrait even though it looks a clown. It also has quite a big impact. The clown in the painting looks like he is trying to apparel something. For the artist, maybe his life was comical?

The last three pictures below are also self-portraits. He didn't paint eyeballs on all his portrait paintings and mouths are always opened.

In the first painting, he is seating in front of a canvas and surrounded by his painting motives. It looks even creepy.

I think the last painting also looks very wired. He is holding his face in his left hand. After painting this portrait painting, he committed suicide.

While he was alive, he had been suffering from depression. You can sense a deep darkness running through his paintings. He often started painting the backgrounds with just red. Then, he layered other colors to create more complex effects. That's why many of his paintings are used analogous colors.

I think art sometimes save people's lives like Kusama Yayoi's case, but in Kamoi's case it seemed like he was trapped by art and struggled to try to escape from it. Every time I see his self-portraits, I can't stop but feel like he's silently crying out, "Help me!".

What do you think when you look at his art? Do you feel the same way?

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