Signed and dated verso

Ryoko Endo gestural abstract paintings are constructed with a controlled yet fluid mark-making, reminiscent of Japanese calligraphy. The artist layers exuberant marks, strokes, and dabs with a fluent touch. Endo’s paintings are built-up with opaque and translucent layers of acrylic paint; the varied thicknesses of brushstrokes and pigments create a striking dynamism. The artist’s lifelong study of chromatic relationships informs her bold approach to color and structure: her mentor Kaikuo Saito - a second-generation Abstract Expressionist, employed vibrant colors to create large, immersive canvases. Endo works at the juncture of meditative Sumi calligraphy and energetic Abstract Expressionism, producing saturated colorscapes that are both precise and expressive. Given the hybridity of the forms and traditions Endo channels, her work creates a visual experience that is simultaneously contemplative and charged, deliberate and spontaneous—loose in gesture yet anchored in formal discipline.

The canvas is largely given over to long sweeps of blue and green washes, punctuated by white and sepia streaks that branch organically across the modulated ground. Energetic strokes cluster in the corners and congregate along the edges of the canvas, creating movement and intensity. The work’s frenetic periphery contrasts with its center, which is comparatively serene. The tension between the forces of chaos and calm generates a compelling visual dynamism. In this piece, Endo employs a consistent cool-toned palette, maintaining an element of chromatic harmony and atmosphere.