Let’s Join Hands

On the opening day of Eguchi Hisashi Illustration Exhibition [Kanojo] held in 2022, and the following day, Eguchi created artworks live in the auditorium at Chiba Prefectural Museum of Art. This is a work from that time, subsequently completed in studio at this museum. The auditorium was filled with large crowds each day, and the event unfolded in a congenial atmosphere, with laughter bubbling up in response to the artist’s words. Despite the drastic changes brought about by the pandemic, Eguchi continued to produce works in public on canvases of uniform size, culminating in this fourth piece. Previously the people were wearing face masks, but in this autumn 2022 work they are shown unmasked and holding hands. Eguchi is highly popular as both a manga artist and an illustrator. This work differs from his manga in that he drew from a model instead of depicting a character. This stellar work shows how he continues to refine his captivating portrayals of people. (N.R.)