Diary: May 31st '72 (a) 日記 1972年5月31日 (a)

Noda took up the artistic career when he won the International Grand Prize at "The 6th International Biennial Exhibition of Prints in Tokyo" of 1968 with his works based on group photographs of his own and his fiancée's families. Since then, he has continued to produce the series “Diary”which depict scenes from his daily life. Since these works capture only scenes of which the artist himself has been a participant, his family members and friends appear frequently in them, and looking at the series over many years, we witness changes in his life, with his children and himself growing older. Those portraying the whole family often appear to be from some commemorative occasion, but the title always remains to be“Diary,” allowing us no further guessing. What he tries to present in his works is not only a record of a particular individual, but also the sentiments most of us share about certain occasions in life. His works usually combine traditional woodcut and some other print technique (silkscreen, etc.). While the early works took advantage of the colors of the woodcut, his recent works use woodcut minimally and, in more subdued colors, stress the texture of the original photograph. Considering how the technique of using photographs for print surprised people in the late 1960s, now seeing it used in these works without attracting much attention reminds us of the years that stand in-between.