Nobuyoshi Araki Japanese, b. 1940

Literature

"This is possibly one of Araki's best-known images. I found the print at a Korean auction and it is unusual as it shows his signature on the front. It was one of the best prints of this image I had seen: the colour of the watermelon perfectly contrasted with the paleness of the girl's face against the grey urban background. Although we have exhibited Araki's work on many occasions, this image had been sold out for years and I was keen to add a great print of it to our collection. Araki brings a new meaning to 'snapshot' photography. Covering subjects as diverse as portraits, dying flowers, Tokyo street scenes (some set up and others simply caught), bars, clubs and one of his best-known subjects, kinbaku (the Japanese art of rope tying), Araki continues to explore the changing face of contemporary Japan. He had astounded audiences worldwide, confronting them with a plethora of beautiful and often shocking images. Never willing to compromise his vision, he continually defies the censor ship laws in his native country, using photography as a way of enhancing and recording his strong emotional reactions to life and death. Araki's use of richly saturated colour and strong black and white imagery is instantly recognisable. The explicit sexual overtones of this image are typical of his unique style."

- Michael Hoppen, Finders Keepers, p. 112