ever changing role seemed to make him a prophet in the creative art world. Amano took a new position in creating visual concept designs for game software in 1987. His imaginations seemed limitless. Amano even expanded to designing stages and costumes, creating stained glass art works, and producing limited edition lithographic prints. The success of his lithograph exhibitions encouraged Amano to change directions to painting. All of his previous experiences with animation films, book illustrations and prints provided a rich background for Amano to delve into painting. In 1997, he established his own studio in New York, enabling him to continue his creative ventures in many different areas. On one hand, he is a fine artist who skillfully draws and creates unique piece of artwork. On the other hand, he is a creative director able to lead a production team of print and design projects.

One may find that the eccentric beauties or heroes in Amano’s artworks are often cross-cultural. These strange, fantastical characters rouse a riotous intersection of reality and virtual reality. The caricatures in Amano’s artworks, that look extraterrestrial or prehistoric, have encountered a new reality that exists within the imaginative world. He crosses time zones and borderlines into fictional spaces that result from his abundant science fiction illustrations. The eyes in Amano’s paintings are often overly exaggerated as if they are looking at the viewers from another world. The emphasized quality of lines is significant for Amano’s artworks because these are the traces of his hand; this is the evidence of his presence. Like many animators or comic artists, infusing artwork with personal narrations is an important aspect of the work. Amano is one of the very few Animamix artists who enjoys equal fame in the animation and fine art world. He is a leading creative power in the new trend of the 21st century, a trend that reaches beyond Japan, and he will easily become one of the most influential artists of our time.

Victoria Lu
Excepted from Victoria Lu's 「Prophet of New Animamix Art - Yoshitaka Amano」