HIsao Domoto was recognized as a promising Nihonga painter and exhibited Japanese-style paintings at the Nitten and Kyoten exhibitions throughout the 1950s. Seeking to break away from the closed world of the postwar Nihonga establishment, he moved to Paris in 1955. There, through Toshimitsu Imai, he met Michel Tapié and became involved in the Art Informel movement. Through his interactions with artists such as Sam Francis, Pierre Soulages, Jean-Paul Riopelle, and Karel Appel, Domoto developed a strong interest in new forms of abstract painting and began producing abstract works in oil himself. He subsequently established his own distinctive abstract style through solo exhibitions at venues including Galerie Stadler in Paris, a major center of the Informel movement, and the Martha Jackson Gallery in New York.
It was during this period that works such as Painting 60–20 were created.Built up with thickly layered and dripping oil paint, the composition is animated by dynamic, flowing brushstrokes that evoke surging waves or powerful winds, conveying a strong sense of physicality. Within these sweeping movements, circular vortex-like forms emerge, creating a structure that balances compositional control with a sense of spontaneity and chance. Although the work can be situated within the context of Informel painting, Domoto’s grounding in Japanese painting and his fusion of Japanese artistic sensibilities with Western abstraction resulted in a highly distinctive mode of expression.In 1960, Domoto’s first solo exhibition in Japan, Hisao Domoto, was held at Minami Gallery.
The exhibition catalogue included contributions by Shuzo Takiguchi, Michel Tapié, and Shuji Takashina. Furthermore, this work can be seen installed in the background of photographs taken at the exhibition opening, alongside figures such as Makoto Ooka, Yoshiaki Tono, and Yusuke Nakahara.