Japan Art and Homage to L.S. Lowry: Illuminated to Symbol Hope
Sawako Utsumi is a contemporary artist from northern Japan. One of her favorite European artists, L.S. Lowry, serves as a key inspiration for several of her works.
Her latest piece is titled “Lowry and Illuminated Man Walking His Dog.”
In an earlier work titled “Lowry in Japanese Color, Space, and Time,” Utsumi channels a similar sense of optimism, using her distinctive style to convey hope and resilience within the native British working-class community.
In both pieces, Utsumi dramatically transforms the original color palette. By doing so, she softens the harsher realities of the Industrial Revolution — such as child labor, grueling work with limited rights, the disenfranchisement of the working class until the early 20th century, workhouses, and substandard housing. Instead, her reinterpretation brings forward the enduring warmth and humanity of working-class life, which persisted despite these historical hardships.
Utsumi channels the beauty of Lowry’s art through her distinct perspective—one deeply influenced by her roots in northern Japan. Her interpretation brings a sense of lightness to Lowry’s themes, focusing on the inner strength and quiet passion of the working class, who endured and overcame harsh labor conditions and difficult lives with resilience and dignity.
Overall, Utsumi’s use of color in relation to Lowry’s artistic themes conveys a sense of hope and quiet triumph in the face of overwhelming adversity.
Written by Lee Jay Walker
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/lowry-and-illuminated-man-walking-his-dog-sawako-utsumi.html?newartwork=true Lowry and Illuminated Man Walking his Dog
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/lowry-and-his-man-and-dog-via-japanese-eyes-sawako-utsumi.html Lowry’s Man and Dog Through Japanese Eyes
https://fineartamerica.com/featured/english-working-class-workhouse-through-japanese-eyes-sawako-utsumi.html English working-class workhouse through Japanese eyes
https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/childhood-and-child-labour-in-the-british-industrial-revolution/552A7B5B3F79D65220920F2DE3113D2E – Childhood and Child Labour in the British Industrial Revolution by Jane Humphries
Sawako Art 