Tenmyouya Hisashi, previously featured on our blog, revives the style of Japanese traditional painting in his contemporary images of futuristic vehicles and robotic warriors on gold leaf. His work is a combination of what is called, "Neo-Nihonga", a revival of Japanese aesthetic with his own term, "Butouha", referring to the attitude and resistance against the art system that his art expresses. Well established in Japan, among Tenmyouya's fans are artist duo known as "indieguerillas", who incorporate Japanese folklore-inspired beings into their mixed media work; paintings and sculptures of skateboards and other imaginary machines ridden by colorful characters.
These works by Japanese artist Tenmyouya Hisashi represent uniquely Japanese aesthetics, mixed with modern, vulgar depictions of sub-culture icons. His paintings of vehicles and Gundam samurai on gold leaf are only a few characters he's refashioned in the styles of his predecessors. By combining traditional Japanese symbols, his paintings have a spirit that is old and contemporary at the same time.