Yamamoto Nizo is a veteran background artist who have worked on such esteemed films as Madhouse’s A Girl Who Leapt Through Time, Ghibli’s Mononoke Hime, Laputa – Castle In The Sky, Grave Of The Fireflies, and more.

This art book features a bountiful collection of background art from the above films, with an emphasis on A Girl Who Leapt Through Time and Mononoke Hime. It was published around the same time as his art exhibition “The World Of Yamamoto Nizo“, held in Kochi from April – June 2012.

(above) The book showcases a very good collection of art from Mamoru Hosoda’s brilliant film The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, second only to this dedicated background art book for the film. ( it’s now out of print, but a used copy is available from Amazon Japan. )

(bel0w) Yamamoto-san also shares his painting techniques in several sections throughout the book. The one below features how he tackles skies and clouds.

(above and below) Many of the background plates featured in the film are real locations found in Tokyo. I used to stay pretty near the train crossing in Nakai ( below right ) and pass by it everyday on my way to school. If you’re crazy about the film and want to visit these locations when you visit Tokyo, this site might be helpful.

(above and below) Some breathtaking background art from Miyazaki Hayao’s masterpiece Mononoke Hime. I love everything about this film. The other prominent background artist who worked on this film was Kazuo Oga. Check out his magnificient artwork here, here and here.

This is one of my favourite art books I’ve purchased so far this year. The sheer volume of high quality art makes it well worth the price, especially if you are a fan of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time or Princess Mononoke. Very highly recommended.

“The Background Art Of Yamamoto Nizo “ art book details :

Dimensions – 27.3 x 22.9 x 2.4 cm
Soft cover, 143 pages
Color, in Japanese

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