ENDO Susumu blends photographic and non-photographic processes via computer, mixing the reality of natural landscapes with abstraction to create a singular surrealistic image – a mingling of nature and a space continuum.
Born in 1933, Endo-san came to printmaking by way of graphic design. He uses the computer as a tool to enhance and manipulate his already exquisite photographs and drawings, which are then produced as lithographs. Endo says, “My basic concept of design is space and space.” I feel there are different levels of consciousness that we can have of space, all coexisting at once. This is the concept that drives all the work I create. My main theme is the relationship of two different dimensions in space: the real and the imaginary”.
Endo graduated from Kuwasawa Design School in 1962 and then spent five years in a small design studio. His art soon became recognized and, after producing a calendar for Audio-Technica, his images appeared commercially and in museum collections throughout Europe, the United States and Japan. His images denote a skill and beauty that challenge our sense of reality. In contrast with Endo’s use of leading-edge technology, his work evokes a meditative, serene quality reminiscent of the atmosphere at a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. This fits well because, to Endo, the tea ceremony ritual is a vital part of daily life.
For further examples of the artist's mesmerizing work, please take a look at his artist's page.
Image above: "Space and Space Nature 1610" - 2016, ed. 75