Gustavo Isoe

GUSTAVO ISOE (Japan, 1954–2007).
“Self-Portrait.”
Mixed media (charcoal, clarion) on paper.
Signed in the lower right corner.
Measurements: 67 x 52 cm.

Tsuyoshi Isoe was born in Osaka in 1954, where he lived until the age of 19, when he moved to Spain. It was there that he developed his painterly style, which is part of the Madrid Realist school led by Antonio López. In addition, Tsuyoshi decided to change his name to “Gustavo Isoe.” Isoe’s paintings also evoke other prominent painters of the Spanish artistic tradition, such as Goya and Velázquez. His work was acclaimed by the public and critics in Spain and throughout Europe, with his still lifes and black-and-white female nudes being particularly notable. Isoe returned to Japan in 1996, but his career was cut short by an illness that led to his death at age 53, just as he was beginning to be recognized as one of the most prominent figures of Realism in his country.