Eye Under the Influence — Masahisa Fukase
How art and style of notable photographers can resonate
Eye Under the Influence is a series of reflections on how various artists have shaped my photography over the past three decades. In this chapter, I explore how the subtle, haunting images of the enigmatic Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase expanded my creative instincts beyond photography, helping me navigate through a dark chapter of my life.
Even if his images fail to move you, the story of a genius grappling with his own struggles and masked in apparent failure will leave an indelible impression.
Only when passion ends abruptly can it be called an obsession — like the sudden collapse of a long love affair, leaving behind the hollow echoes of once vibrant passions. It can awaken melancholy, rapidly descend into darkness, and fill the mind with scorpions.
For Tokyoite Masahisa Fukase, the unravelling began with the intense grief of losing the love of his life — his mind flooded with fog and ravens. After years of daily, relentless devotion to photographing his wife Yoko, Fukase found himself alone, teetering on the edge of the abyss…
