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Sadao Hasegawa: (1945-1999)Sadao Hasegawa was born in a small town in northern Japan. He was an introspective lad who had few playmates and found his greatest delight in the wonders of the natural world. Later he found the same wonder in the myths, legends, artifacts and history of Africa, India, Thailand and other locales in southeast Asia. He selected and used those features of his multiple experiences in these places that best suited his unique view of the beauties and mysteries of male sexuality and erotica. Sadao saw no inconsistency in juxtaposing an African mask, a Thai animalist belief, and the details of Japanese bondage and domination.
Sadao was not interested in constructing a comprehensive and coherent philosophy or religion. He was a universalist who used what suited him to present his unique vision of male sexuality. To attempt to discern some sort of master cosmic plan or mythos behind Sadao’s use of symbols, artifacts, myths, and legends is a total misunderstanding of his weltanschanuung.
To enjoy Sadao’s art is to enjoy the variety of material he found related to the subject of his paintings. Art is a presentation of the artist’s view of his reality. Sadao saw unity in diversity and found pleasure in relating that diversity to his subject.
Sadao’s works first began appearing in Japanese gay magazines in the 1980s, Barazoku, Badi, and others. Sadao Hasegawa, his first book, appeared in 1990. It has gone through three reprints and is still available. Paradise Visions appeared in 1996 via a private printing. No further editions are available to my knowledge. All paintings from those two publications appearing here were scanned directly from those two publications. Some paintings from magazine publications are also included here but have not been scanned from the original source.
Sadao committed suicide in Bangkok, Thailand, November 20, 1999. No note was left. A souvenir of Yukio Mishima was on the table. For a more thorough analysis of Sadao’s role in homoerotic art, see Gengorô Tagame’s Gay Erotic Art in Japan, vol. 2. (All volumes of Tagame’s authoritative and extensive study are available through Rainbow Shoppers. URL is listed below.)
Possible sources: http://www.barazoku.com/ http://www.books-rose.com/ http://www.amazon.com/ http://www.gmppubs.co.uk http://www.rainbow-shoppers.com/
Click on the thumbnail in any of the gallery listings to view the full-sized picture.
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