Shomei tomatsu biography of michael

Shomei Tomatsu was born in Nagoya in , and passed away in He began photographing while he was at Aichi University, and before long he would become recognized as the fulcrum of the post-war photography world of Japan.

Beginning with a series that observes the people and scenery around American Military bases (“Occupation”) and moving towards a recollection of the atomic bomb ( Nagasaki, ), Tomatsu looked at the situation of his day with a sharp eye, while also opening up new possibilities for photographic expression.

In , after visiting Okinawa for the first time, he developed a deeper interest not just towards bases, but also towards natural beauty. This interest guided the production of his book The Pencil of the Sun, which won the Mainichi Art Award and The Minister of Education, Science and Culture’s Art Encouragement Prize.

In , he moved to Nagasaki, also setting up a residence in Okinawa and producing work at a steady clip.

His major solo exhibitions include “Tr