“…….Does this mean that Rikizo is essentially an artist of East Asian traditions? In part I would argue that he is, and even more specifically that much of his aesthetic is Japanese, although virtually none of his artistic activity has occurred in Japan. This can be seen in the remarkable balance, not one of which seems to have within it any unharmonious element. With many Western abstract artists, there is often a sense of exploration in the works themselves, some of them successful, some only partly so. This never happens with Rikizo, every one of whose works I have seen, including his impressive series of screenprints (covering his entire career) looks entirely thought-out and confident. This is a formidable talent; I would suggest that it partly has its orgins in the Japanese tradition of calligraphy, though that maybe an entirely unconscious influence. Similarly, Ribizo’s handling of colour; so clear-cut in every case, and always with a sense of equality between a few symbolic tones, may reflect the classic handling of mineral pigments in traditional painting techniques of Japan and China…..Again, this may be an unconscious understanding, transmitted into the material of oil and canvas which dominate the modern artistic scene.

However, these Japanese tendencies are only part of Rikizo’s artistic make-up. He is also a truly international painter whose works can and ought to be enjoyed everywhere. His abstract canvases and prints on paper speak what is now an almost world-wide visual langauage, where the basic rules are now so well understood by connoisseurs that a painting succeeds by its power to communicate effectively, just as purely instrucmental music does, and there is no longer any need to shock. Rikizo satisfies the emotions through the eye, and he does it in a restrined manner which is nevertheless entirely his own. Visitors to his exhibitions usually take away with them a feeling of having seen things of monumental power, even though the surfaces have a certain well-defined tranquility and quiet order. It is this underlying force which explains another of his achievements, and that a rather rare one. From the smallest of his compositions to the largest there is a considerable range of scale, yet everyone seems equally weighty. There are few artists who have that ability.

There is often found among international artists an atmosphere of unease, which derives in part from the excited surface effects of Western oil painting. Rikizo provides intensity concealed under a much more orderly surface, and this has led to a growing appreciation of his work in Europe”.

Lawrence Smith, Keeper Emeritus of Japanese Antiquities, British Museum, London