Welcome to Our Quiet Room
Thank you so very much for stopping by and lending me your eyes when you must be so tired.
In the course of your daily life, do you ever feel a sudden, inexplicable loneliness that aches deep within your chest?
It is that strange sensation where you are with someone, yet you feel as though you alone have been left behind in some distant place.
I always wish to gently align myself with that loneliness of yours, with that sorrow which cannot be put into words.
For just a little while, why not forget the clamor of the world and gaze upon this single picture together with me?
“Man was never born to be submissive to others.”
—— Jean-Jacques Rousseau
A Dazzling Kaleidoscope Unfolding Before Your Eyes
When this screen first entered your field of vision, what is it that you felt?
An overwhelming abundance of color writhes and overlaps, as if it were a living creature.
Greens, blues, vivid pinks, and yellows are densely painted into every single corner of the image “無題40_20260525195959.jpg”.
Traditional tools like canvases and brushes were not used here at all.
It is a world meticulously woven together by employing the modern, luminous medium of digital creation.
It feels nostalgic in some way, yet at the same time, it maintains a wondrous balance that you have never seen before.
“All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”
—— Leo Tolstoy
Despite being filled to the brim with such brilliant colors, why does it make our hearts settle into such a profound hush?
While being overwhelmed by its beauty, there is a strange gravitational pull that softly stirs the depths of our chest.
Perhaps it is because it touches directly upon the hidden reverse side of our hearts—the side we usually keep concealed.
The Countless Gazes Hidden Behind the Overflowing Colors
Please take a very close look at the screen.
You will surely notice that countless “eyes” are staring intently back at you.
Some eyes are wide open, while others seem to be enduring something, placed here and there across the entire surface.
Why are so many gazes filling up this space?
It looks almost like the silent pressure and evaluations from others that we all endure in our daily lives.
Or perhaps it is the gaze of another version of you, the one that ceaselessly watches and reproaches your own self.
“Human beings are the painters of their own lives. They color the canvas of the world with their own actions.”
—— Alfred Adler
No matter the era, we all live our lives hiding our true selves, constantly worrying about how we appear in the eyes of others.
The eyes depicted in this work are not trying to expose your loneliness.
Rather, they seem to be nodding in silence, as if to say, “I know all about the secret tears and sadness you carry.”
When you think of it that way, this place, which should feel enclosed by countless gazes, suddenly approaches you with a warmth.
The Overlap of That Pivotal Year in History and Our Modern Lives
At this point, I must tell you about the title of this work.
The name given to this picture is “1914, the beginning of loneliness” (1914年、孤独の始まり).
What comes to your mind when you hear the number 1914?
It is the year the First World War broke out, a turbulent year that shook the entire world.
It is also the starting point where the peaceful daily lives of the past crumbled away, and humanity was plunged into a great, chaotic turmoil.
If you stare into the depths of the screen, you will see a multitude of “crosses” standing there quietly, like shadows.
“Most people are more concerned with how happy others seem to be than with their own happiness.”
—— Francis Bacon
Why do events that feel so distant, the kind found in history textbooks, feel so close to us right now?
It is precisely because the modern world we live in is also constantly exposed to change and anxiety.
Our peace of mind is easily threatened by misunderstandings in close relationships or sudden shifts in our environment.
The deep, pathless loneliness that the people living in 1914 must have felt.
It is certainly connected to the unutterable sadness that you hold within yourself today.
Small Signs of Love Flickering Inside a Wounded World
However, this work does not merely cry out with sadness and anxiety.
Between the sharp colors and the crosses, you can see quite a few lovely “heart patterns” scattered about.
Why are hearts, the very symbol of love, drawn inside such a chaotic world?
There is a saying by Osamu Dazai that goes like this:
“Love is words. It is only when you give words to someone that love is born.”
—— Osamu Dazai (from Monoomu Ashi)
Even in a world where people are wounded, lost, and frightened by the eyes of others, the seeds of love are always sown.
Even at the edge of despair, humans cannot cast away the desire to think of someone and to connect with another.
The hearts depicted here are the very tenderness that we must not lose in the midst of a harsh reality.
The ladder located in a corner of the screen looks like a modest signpost for climbing out of that chaos and heading toward the light.
The words meant to save you are quietly, yet surely, contained within this picture.
To Quietly Stay by Your Side Throughout Your Whole Life, Transcending Time
This work is printed on high-quality printmaking paper using a special technique called Giclée printing.
The colors printed through this method are said to possess a long durability, lasting from 100 to 200 years.
The modern technology of digital art has gained a time-stopping robustness, taking on a tangible form.
Why was such an extraordinarily long-lasting technique chosen?
“Art is long, life is short.”
—— Hippocrates
Human life is limited, and our joys and sorrows change along with the flow of time.
However, the colors possessed by this picture will remain there in their unaltered state for much longer than your own lifespan.
When you are happy, and on nights when you are deeply hurt and shedding tears, this picture will watch over you from the wall of your room.
Its existence, which can withstand the test of time, will become your most loyal friend, quietly accompanying you throughout your entire life.
In Order to Open a New Door Named Loneliness
Every one of us lives while carrying our own cross and fearing the eyes of others.
Regardless of gender, to live may mean to accept that kind of poignant sorrow.
Yet, as you gaze upon this picture, do you not feel a wondrous change visiting your heart?
Loneliness does not mean the end of everything.
Rather, it is the opening of a door to a new beginning—a way to meet your true self and to understand the pain of others.
“It is only because we are in the darkness that we can find the brilliance of the stars.”
—— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry (A general maxim based on interpretation)
This work, “1914, the beginning of loneliness,” is like a mirror to the room deep within your heart.
Every time you look at it, there is a new discovery, and it reflects your state of mind at that very moment.
Time and time again, whenever your heart grows weary, please return to this vortex of color.
This picture is always ready to envelop your precious existence with its deep, observing gaze.
Thank you so very much for reading until the very end.