VS Artist

I had the chance to drink with a film directer recently. Invited from my customer, I watched a movie, and after that, I could talk about the movie with the directer in a drinking place.
The movie was a bibliography for a Japanese artist, Isson Tanaka. He was a genious drawer after the world war II, but now he has been forgotten for a long time in Japan. Because, he didn't sell his pictures to others at all, except for only one.
If an artist wouldn't sell his works, nobody can know his existence in this modern capitalism society. That's why the existence of Isson Tanaka was forgotten in Japan. The film directer knew the artist by chance, and made the film.

Isson Tanaka was known as a talented artist when he was a student in an art school. However, he couldn't get along well with the authorities in the artists' society. He was honest to his own sense of beauty. So, he could criticise his teacher's work.
That's why, many people hated him, alas, in any competitions, he couldn't get a prize.

But, Isson was not interested in comercial success, so he threw away the connection with the community of artists, and went to Amami islamd, which was the farest western place before Okinawa came back to Japan.
On the island, he lived in an old, thrown house, and had worked as a painter in a factory for three years. After the three years, he quited the job, and started to draw pictures.
For the cost of living in the island was low, he could concentrate on his artist's work for two years.
After the two years, he restarted to work, and after next three years, his artist's work restarted. His life was like that.

Altough he was a strange man, the people in the island loved him. But, nobody watched his works. Because, he didn't show his works to others.
His aim was to have the exhibition of his works in Tokyo someday. It might have been his revenge against the authorities in artist's community. So, until the day, he would not like to show them to anyone.

For Isson, No.1 artist was Picasso. And, No.2 was himself.
I couldn't judge whether it's true or not, but the film directer told me that his works were certainly great.
However, in the end, he couldn't have his exhibition in his life. Because he was poor. It's too costly for him to have an exhibition in Tokyo.

Isson was supported by many people in the island, especially by a family managing a small souvenier shop. The shop had sold cheap plates.
One day, some tourists came to the shop, to find something interesting in the island. But they were not interseted in the plates.
When they went out from the shop, they broke a plate by their carelessness. They asked Isson (He was there by chance.) how much it was.
He told them very expensive price.
The tourists were surprised, and became angry soon.
But, Isson was more angry with them. For him, any art work is "only one". He couldn't excuse their fault.

This episode impressed the shop owner, who had thought his works were not special. He respected Isson's thought of art, and asked him to buy his work. Isson told him that the work cost a million yen. The price was very high for the shop owner. However, by using his saving, by selling his house and by borrowing money, he bought one of Isson's works.
The work bacame the only one exception to be sold in a lot of Isson's unsold works.

Isson died unknown in Amai island.
I think "only one" is his discipline of art. He valued the first meeting of art works, so didn't show his works to others. For us, his thinking might be too strict, but it could be an important idea in this eara that we can't be surprised at anything when watching it, because everything looks unspecial.