Year: 2021
Medium: acrylic and resin on panel
Dimensions: 90 cm (35 1/2 in.) in diameter
Acquired from MEET YOUR ART, 2022
Although the title of this work implies a water mirror, it is not necessarily a clear and serene surface. Rushing water is depicted by lustrously squeezed paint and it might be a waterside at night. The opaque and deep colors of the background evoke darkness. On the scores of Maurice Ravel’s “Jeux d’eau”, a line from Henri de Regnier is attached: “Dieu fluvial riant de l’eau qui le chatouille” (River god laughing as the water which tickles him). Takayama’s work matches more with water playing around rather than a calm, mirror-like water surface. Even on a dark night, waves make the stars and the moonlight shine. Regardless, the ones looking onto the water are us, facing this painting. The act of looking onto the water implies narcissism from Narcissus in Western painting. But what will we find in this water mirror in the present age?
