Tadaaki Kuwayama and his wife, the artist Rakuko Naito, arrived in New York in 1958. Leaving behind the traditions of Japanese 'nihonga painting ', they became part of the cutting edge of the 60s American art scene. A contemporary of Minimalists such as Dan Flavin, Walter De Maria, and Donald Judd, Kuwayama soon developed his own distinctive style, typified by vivid fields of paint juxtaposed in horizontal and vertical compositions, as well as monochromatic canvases bisected by thin strips of chrome. Following two solo exhibitions at the renowned Green Gallery in 1961 and 1962, his work was shown until today in many important galleries and museums throughout the world, not only in the USA, but also in Germany, Switzerland, Israel, and - not to forget in his home country, Japan. 'In contrast to the painterly, dramatic style of abstract expressionism, in Kuwayamas work we see none of the emotional push of a Barnett Newman, none of the tonal atmospheres of an Ad Reinhardt. Kuwayamas paintings were daring in their existence: completely stark. Each arrived at through simplicity, clarity, and finally the richness of their color augmented only when using reflective metallic paints. As Kuwayama explained in a 1964 statement: Ideas, thoughts, philosophy, reasons, meanings, even the humanity of the artist, do not enter into my work at all. There is only the art itself. That is all. Today Kuwayamas art retains that spirit of purity. Steadfastly monochromatic, the formula for these works remains linked to his earlier compositions: single geometric elements that are repeated to form a larger whole. His use of metallic paint on canvas in the early paintings of the 60s and 70s has given way to works that use other materials such as aluminum and titanium. Still a colorist at heart, Kuwayama achieved the unique color of these paintings by anodizing the metal, a chemical process that dyes the surface of the metal so that it reflects color (something of the 19th-century theories of the French pointillists like Signac and Seurat lingers here with color conceived as a scientific principle). The intensity and luminosity of surface colors change as the light on the painting shifts or as the viewer alters his or her own position in front of the painting.' Michael Klein on the exhibition 'Tadaaki Kuwayama' in the Museum of Modern Art Hayama from 2012 to January 2013. Michio Hayashi, who has studied at the University of Tokyo and at Columbia University in New York, is an art critic and professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Sophia University in Tokyo, established in 1949 and widely known for its allEnglish program. His research interests include the history of modern and contemporary art and visual culture as well as aesthetic theory and criticism.

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Michio Hayashi is an art critic and professor of art history at Sophia University in Tokyo, established in 1949 and widely known for its all-English program. His research interests include the history of contemporary art and visual culture as well as aesthetic theory and criticism. He is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Liberal Arts at Sophia University.