An Analysis of the Artistry of Hiroyuki Tokutomi: Difference between revisions

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(New page: ''This article is courtesy of [http://Smokingpipes.com Smokingpipes.com], and used her by permission. All rights reserved.'' '''By F. Sykes Wilford, May 10, 2004''' '''Hiroyuki Tokutomi,...)
 
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Tokutomi-san's goal, with his wildly asymmetrical style, is to create natural, organic forms. Tokutomi's pipes do not appear constructed or designed. Though artistically coherent, they don't seem to have been put together from separate stylistic elements. They strike us as complete, consistent pieces, conceived as individual, non-divisible entities. Tokutomi pipes possess a softness and pliability of shape that few other pipes have. They also have a sense of movement that is very different from that of his Danish colleagues. By eschewing rigid forms, Tokutomi creates pipes that appear to have sprung from nature fully formed. Combining this with a delicacy of design creates a sense of fleeting impermanence. By crafting soft, moving, impermanent objects from a material as hard as briar, Tokutomi explores the juxtaposition of the softness of the design and the hardness of the material. The challenge for Tokutomi is to create an object that is perceived as impermanent, but out of a very permanent material. He strives to create softness from hardness and fluidity from solidity. It is this contradiction that Tokutomi chooses to explore.
Tokutomi-san's goal, with his wildly asymmetrical style, is to create natural, organic forms. Tokutomi's pipes do not appear constructed or designed. Though artistically coherent, they don't seem to have been put together from separate stylistic elements. They strike us as complete, consistent pieces, conceived as individual, non-divisible entities. Tokutomi pipes possess a softness and pliability of shape that few other pipes have. They also have a sense of movement that is very different from that of his Danish colleagues. By eschewing rigid forms, Tokutomi creates pipes that appear to have sprung from nature fully formed. Combining this with a delicacy of design creates a sense of fleeting impermanence. By crafting soft, moving, impermanent objects from a material as hard as briar, Tokutomi explores the juxtaposition of the softness of the design and the hardness of the material. The challenge for Tokutomi is to create an object that is perceived as impermanent, but out of a very permanent material. He strives to create softness from hardness and fluidity from solidity. It is this contradiction that Tokutomi chooses to explore.


Much of that pliability, softness and movement is created by Tokutomi employing and juxtaposing soft and hard lines in his pipes. Tokutomi might carve a hard edge, but then bend it in an unusual way. By featuring a combination of convex and concave surfaces, complex, undulating surfaces and complicated edges, Tokutomi's pipes have a sophistication that is simultaneously very natural looking and extraordinarily difficult to execute. Forcing various trinomial planes to fit together on the surface of a pipe is extremely difficult. To do so harmoniously is pretty close to impossible. Yet, Tokutomi accomplishes this with every pipe he makes.
[[Image:tokutomi3.jpg|thumb|left|]]Much of that pliability, softness and movement is created by Tokutomi employing and juxtaposing soft and hard lines in his pipes. Tokutomi might carve a hard edge, but then bend it in an unusual way. By featuring a combination of convex and concave surfaces, complex, undulating surfaces and complicated edges, Tokutomi's pipes have a sophistication that is simultaneously very natural looking and extraordinarily difficult to execute. Forcing various trinomial planes to fit together on the surface of a pipe is extremely difficult. To do so harmoniously is pretty close to impossible. Yet, Tokutomi accomplishes this with every pipe he makes.


[[Image:tokutomi3.jpg|thumb|left|]]One additional salient stylistic element serves to tie the various elements in a given piece back to the piece as a whole and the aesthetic in general. Tokutomi pipes have a sense of wholeness and completeness for many reasons, but none more important than his fascination with feature reflection. Frequently, where possible, Tokutomi will reflect a theme presented on one part of a pipe elsewhere on the same piece. The same undulation that is present on the rim is reflected on the end of the shank, and again on the stem. Of course, these patterns are not replications of each other. They reflect each other through hints of a unifying stylistic idea, rather than directly replicating themselves again and again. The stem is always the hardest part to connect visually with the pipe. The material is different; there are obvious visual breaks from the shank to the stem. Therefore, Tokutomi focuses on visually tying the stem to the rest of the composition, thereby creating a coherent whole.
One additional salient stylistic element serves to tie the various elements in a given piece back to the piece as a whole and the aesthetic in general. Tokutomi pipes have a sense of wholeness and completeness for many reasons, but none more important than his fascination with feature reflection. Frequently, where possible, Tokutomi will reflect a theme presented on one part of a pipe elsewhere on the same piece. The same undulation that is present on the rim is reflected on the end of the shank, and again on the stem. Of course, these patterns are not replications of each other. They reflect each other through hints of a unifying stylistic idea, rather than directly replicating themselves again and again. The stem is always the hardest part to connect visually with the pipe. The material is different; there are obvious visual breaks from the shank to the stem. Therefore, Tokutomi focuses on visually tying the stem to the rest of the composition, thereby creating a coherent whole.


A Tokutomi pipe collector once asked whether I thought Tokutomi was 'artistically conscious'. Is Tokutomi aware of the sources that created his aesthetic? Is Tokutomi conscious of the artistic elements that he employs? Or is his sense of artistry so suffused with this aesthetic that it is sub-conscious? These are rather complicated metaphysical questions to ask about a pipe maker! The answer, of course, is that he is very much aware. This is a style that he consciously created and continues to develop. Tokutomi-san knows exactly what he wants to say; and, thankfully, he says it with pipes.
A Tokutomi pipe collector once asked whether I thought Tokutomi was 'artistically conscious'. Is Tokutomi aware of the sources that created his aesthetic? Is Tokutomi conscious of the artistic elements that he employs? Or is his sense of artistry so suffused with this aesthetic that it is sub-conscious? These are rather complicated metaphysical questions to ask about a pipe maker! The answer, of course, is that he is very much aware. This is a style that he consciously created and continues to develop. Tokutomi-san knows exactly what he wants to say; and, thankfully, he says it with pipes.
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