Template:Confused Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox artist
Template:Nihongo was a Japanese painter, illustrator, and manga artist. His works of shōjo manga are noted for significantly influencing the aesthetic styles of that genre.
Biography
Macoto Takahashi was born on 27 August 1934 in Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, as the eldest son in a family of three boys.[1] While pursuing art in high school, he was torn between the painting styles of nihonga (traditional Japanese-style painting) and yōga (Western-style painting). He decided to pursue jojōga 叙情画 (lyrical painting) after discovering the works of jojōga artist Jun'ichi Nakahara in the magazine Himawari.Template:Sfn He began his career in 1953 illustrating books aimed at the loan market (kashi-hon).Template:Sfn He began to create manga in 1956 with the shōjo manga (girls' manga) series Paris-Tokyo.Template:Sfn That same year, he contributed to the nascent gekiga scene by adapting Sherlock Holmes stories for the kashi-hon manga magazine Kage.[2] In 1957, he released several short shōjo manga stories, including "The Seaside of Sorrow", "The Swan of Tokyo", "The Swan of the Rose", and "Norowareta Kopperia" (English: Cursed Coppéllia).[3]
In 1958, he established what would become his signature style of art influenced by both manga and jojōga with his manga series Template:Nihongo, published in the magazine Shojo.Template:Sfn This style was distinguished chiefly by its depiction of characters with traits typical of models in jojōga illustrations: thin bodies and large, sparkling eyes, with Takahashi having been referred to as "the king of eye sparkles".Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn[4] Other distinguishing traits include the superposition of panels, full-length portraits that fill the entirety of the page, backgrounds that arouse strong emotion, and non-narrative imagery. This style significantly influenced shōjo manga, and quickly became the standard visual conventions of that genre.Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn Takahashi also made the theme of ballet popular in shōjo manga with Norowareta Kopperia (Cursed Coppelia).Template:Sfn
During the 1960s, Takahashi stopped creating shōjo manga, because he considered himself incapable of adopting the point of view of a girl.[5] He shifted to illustration, creating album cover artwork, stationery, and covers of shōjo manga magazines,Template:SfnTemplate:Sfn and became particularly popular with the Gothic Lolita subculture.[6] Beginning in 1992, Takahashi mounted an annual exhibition of his work at his home in Sakura.[7] In 2018, artwork by Takahashi was featured in designs created by the fashion house Comme des Garçons.[8] In the 2020s, Takahashi created a series of paintings based on different countries, incorporating influences such as the French revolutionary calendar, national and seasonal flowers, and local architecture.[9]
On 16 December 2024, it was announced through Takahashi's official Twitter account that he died from gastroesophageal junction cancer on 17 November 2024. He was 90 years old.[10] His funeral was held on 25 November.[11]
Works
- [12]
- Template:Nihongo, 1995, Seibidō Shuppan. Reprinted 2006, BOOK-ING, Template:ISBN[13]
- Template:Nihongo, 1999, Parco Shuppan, Template:ISBN[14]
- Template:Nihongo, 2001, Parco Shuppan, Template:ISBN[15]
- Template:Nihongo, 2006 (reprint), Shogakukan, Template:ISBN[16]
- Template:Nihongo, 2006, Kodansha, Template:ISBN[17]
- Template:Nihongo, 2013, PIE International, Template:ISBN[18]
- Template:Nihongo, 2015 (reprint), Fukkan dot-com, Template:ISBN[19]
- Template:Nihongo, 2016, Genkōsha, Template:ISBN[20]
- Template:Nihongo, 2017, PIE International, Template:ISBN[21]
References
Bibliography
External links
- Template:Anime News Network
- Macoto Couture (Macoto Takahashi's shop)