Macoto Takahashi

was a Japanese painter, illustrator, and manga artist. His works of ''shōjo'' manga are noted for significantly influencing the aesthetic styles of that demographics.

Biography

Macoto Takahashi was born on 27 August 1934 in Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka, as the eldest son in a family of three boys. While pursuing art in high school, he was torn between the painting styles of ''nihonga'' (traditional Japanese-style painting) and ''yōga'' (Western-style painting). He decided to pursue ''jojōga'' 叙情画 (lyrical painting) after discovering the works of ''jojōga'' artist Jun'ichi Nakahara in the magazine ''Himawari''. He began his career in 1953 illustrating books aimed at the loan market (''kashi-hon''). He began to create manga in 1956 with the ''shōjo'' manga (girls' manga) series ''Paris-Tokyo''. That same year, he contributed to the nascent ''gekiga'' scene by adapting Sherlock Holmes stories for the ''kashi-hon'' manga magazine ''Kage''. In 1957, he released several short ''shōjo'' manga stories, including "The Seaside of Sorrow", "The Swan of Tokyo", "The Swan of the Rose", and "''Norowareta Kopperia''" (English: Cursed Coppéllia).

In 1958, he established what would become his signature style of art influenced by both manga and ''jojōga'' with his manga series , published in the magazine ''Shojo''. This style was distinguished chiefly by its depiction of characters with traits typical of models in ''jojōga'' illustrations: thin bodies and large, sparkling eyes, with Takahashi having been referred to as "the king of eye sparkles". Other distinguishing traits include the superposition of panels, full-length portraits that fill the entirety of the page, backgrounds that arouse strong emotion, and non-narrative imagery. This style significantly influenced ''shōjo'' manga, and quickly became the standard visual conventions of that demographics. Takahashi also made the theme of ballet popular in ''shōjo'' manga with ''Norowareta Kopperia'' (Cursed Coppelia).

During the 1960s, Takahashi stopped creating ''shōjo'' manga, because he considered himself incapable of adopting the point of view of a girl. He shifted to illustration, creating album cover artwork, stationery, and covers of ''shōjo'' manga magazines, and became particularly popular with the Gothic Lolita subculture. Beginning in 1992, Takahashi mounted an annual exhibition of his work at his home in Sakura. In 2018, artwork by Takahashi was featured in designs created by the fashion house Comme des Garçons. In the 2020s, Takahashi created a series of paintings based on different countries, incorporating influences such as the French revolutionary calendar, national and seasonal flowers, and local architecture.

On 16 December 2024, it was announced through Takahashi's official Twitter account that he died from gastroesophageal junction cancer on 17 November 2024. He was 90 years old. His funeral was held on 25 November.

Works

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* , 1995, Seibidō Shuppan. Reprinted 2006, BOOK-ING,
* , 1999, Parco Shuppan,
* , 2001, Parco Shuppan,
* , 2006 (reprint), Shogakukan,
* , 2006, Kodansha,
* , 2013, PIE International,
* , 2015 (reprint), Fukkan dot-com,
* , 2016, Genkōsha,
* , 2017, PIE International,

References

Bibliography

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External links

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Macoto Couture
(Macoto Takahashi's shop)

{{DEFAULTSORT:Takahashi, Macoto
1934 births
2024 deaths
20th-century Japanese illustrators
20th-century Japanese male artists
20th-century Japanese painters
21st-century Japanese illustrators
21st-century Japanese male artists
21st-century Japanese painters
Deaths from esophageal cancer in Japan
Japanese male painters
Manga artists from Osaka Prefecture