Okada Tatsuo
active 1900-1930Mavo may be viewed as the Japanese manifestation of the worldwide avant-garde movement that occurred in the visual arts during the 1920s. Fusing Marxist politics with a strong modernist aesthetic, Mavo, like its counterparts abroad—Futurism, Expressionism, Dadaism, Constructivism—engaged in a broad range of artistic activity from magazine publication to art criticism; book illustration to dance and theatrical performances. As self-proclaimed “cultural anarchists” Mavo’s members launched concerted attacks against the Japanese art establishment, as well as mores and prevailing tastes.
The art in this book was made by Okada Tatsuo, who was a prime mover in Mavo and the Miraiha Bijutsu Kyokai or Futurist Art Association. However, despite his prominence Okada’s life remains an enigma. Nonetheless, Okada acted as a radicalizing force by leveling a constant barrage of harsh criticism against the group which effectively prodded his peers towards pursuing more violent and extreme actions. In addition to being a significant artist, whose prints and assemblages were major works within the Mavo moment, Okada was also highly regarded as a radical performance artist and editor.
Recognized today for his innovative approach to typography and printmaking, in addition to this book Okada also designed and supplied art for the publication of Ernst Toller’s Tsubame no sho known as The Swallow Book; and Kyojiro Hagiwara’s Shikei senkoku or Death Sentence.