Footsteps

Kenzo Okada’s Footsteps and the Language of Abstraction

In 1954, as Abstract Expressionism cemented its dominance in New York, Kenzo Okada created Footsteps, a work that bridged Eastern calligraphic traditions with the gestural energy of the West. Unlike the aggressive brushwork of Pollock or the chromatic explosions of Rothko, Okada’s composition whispers rather than shouts. The painting’s layered, translucent planes suggest movement without literal depiction—a radical departure from the figurative norms of his early career in Japan. This period marked Okada’s full embrace of abstraction after relocating to New York in 1950, where he became one of the few Asian artists to gain recognition in the male-dominated Abstract Expressionist circle.

The title Footsteps implies a narrative absent from the canvas itself. What remains are delicate tracery lines, like fading ink on rice paper, suspended in fields of muted ochre and slate. As noted in the MoMA’s artist profile, Okada’s work from this era often explored “the tension between spontaneity and control”—a duality evident in the painting’s balanced asymmetry. The 30×40 cm format, intimate yet commanding, invites viewers to lean in and trace the artist’s deliberate, almost meditative marks.

The New York School’s Quiet Revolutionary

Okada arrived in New York at 48, already an established artist in Japan but an outsider in the competitive downtown scene. His age and cultural background set him apart from the younger, predominantly white Abstract Expressionists, yet critics like Clement Greenberg championed his work for its “lyrical abstraction.” Unlike Franz Kline’s bold black-and-white compositions or Willem de Kooning’s chaotic figuration, Okada’s paintings from the mid-1950s—Footsteps among them—prioritized harmony over conflict.

The artist’s method reflected his dual influences. He applied oil paint with brushes traditionally used for Japanese calligraphy, building up surfaces through repeated, rhythmic strokes. As The Art Story observes, this approach “challenged the Western binary of figure and ground,” creating spaces where forms emerge and dissolve. In Footsteps, the central vertical element anchors the composition without dominating it, a testament to Okada’s mastery of negative space—a concept central to both wabi-sabi aesthetics and modernist design.

Footsteps doesn’t depict a journey so much as it embodies the hesitation between steps—the pause where memory and anticipation collide. Okada’s genius lies in rendering absence as palpable as presence.

The Alchemy of Okada’s Surface

Layered Transparency

Okada achieved Footsteps’ luminous depth through glazing—applying thin, translucent layers of oil paint over a textured ground. The underpainting, a mix of titanium white and raw umber, peeks through the upper strata like weathered plaster. This technique, inspired by nihonga (Japanese mineral-pigment painting), allowed light to penetrate the surface, creating an inner glow absent in heavier impasto works by his peers.

Calligraphic Gesture

The painting’s linear elements were executed with a fude brush, its stiff bristles leaving tapered strokes that begin sharply and fade into soft edges. Okada varied the pressure to produce rhythmic interruptions—the “footsteps” of the title—while the horizontal bands evoke traditional Japanese screens. Unlike automatic drawing, each mark in Footsteps reflects deliberate pacing, a quality that distinguishes Okada’s work from the more spontaneous Action Painting of his contemporaries.

Curating Footsteps: A Designer’s Guide

The restrained palette of Footsteps—soft blacks, warm grays, and cream—makes it remarkably versatile. In a minimalist interior, the print commands attention when hung solo above a low console table, its vertical orientation echoing the clean lines of mid-century furniture. For larger walls, pair it with Okada’s Solstice (1954) to create a diptych that explores his evolving abstraction. The 30×40 cm size suits both intimate spaces (a study or bedroom) and public areas (a hotel lobby or corporate office), where its meditative quality can offset busier environments.

Lighting enhances the print’s textural depth. A picture light positioned at a 30-degree angle will accentuate the brushed strokes, while natural light reveals the subtle color shifts in the glazed layers. Avoid direct sunlight to preserve the archival inks, and consider a float mount within the frame to emphasize the painting’s edge-to-edge composition—a hallmark of Okada’s mature style.

More Works by Kenzo Okada

Discover the evolution of Okada’s abstract language through these key pieces from his New York period.

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