The World of Animation Art
Creators of Background Art
This special issue of the renowned Japanese magazine series Bessatsu Taiyō is dedicated to the art of hand-painted backgrounds in Japanese animation.
From classics such as Metropolis and Ghost in the Shell to contemporary productions, the magazine offers a rare look into the creative practice of the artists who shape the visual worlds of anime. It explores how background art creates atmosphere, space, light, memory, and emotional depth — and why it is far more than simply “what appears behind the characters.”
The issue includes studio visits, artist profiles, essays, production materials, and an extensive opening conversation between director Rintarō and painter/filmmaker Yoshitoshi Shinomiya on animation, painting, cel animation, and the role of background art.
Stefan Riekeles, founder and curator of Riekeles Gallery, contributed to this issue as supervising editor. He also wrote several texts and commentaries, including the essay “Animation Art: Standard and Individual Excellence.” The publication is closely connected to the gallery’s long-standing curatorial work with Japanese anime background art and its artists.
Please note: This is a Japanese-language publication. However, the rich visual material, studio photography, production artwork, and artist features make it highly valuable for collectors, researchers, artists, and anyone interested in anime art direction and background painting.
Table of Contents
Opening Conversation
Rintarō × Yoshitoshi Shinomiya
“Background art is not merely something that exists in the back.”
Traces preserved in background paintings
Text by Hiroko Myokan and Stefan Riekeles
From the Creative Field
Studio reports, interviews, photography, and commentary on Japanese background artists and art directors
Featuring:
Shūichi Kusamori
Ryōko Majima
Hiromasa Ogura
Hiroshi Ōno
Shinji Kimura
Kōsuke Hayashi
Kaori Hino
Tomotaka Kubo
With comments by directors Makoto Shinkai and Naoko Yamada.
Pioneers of Background Art
Shichirō Kobayashi
“An avant-garde spirit in pursuit of new forms of expression”
“A person who never lost the energy to draw”
Atsushi Mukuo
“An art director who continued to transform background art”
Text by Hiroko Myokan
“Mukuo’s art and settings, still alive in the Reiwa era”
Column
Nizō Yamamoto / Kazuo Oga
Essays
The Genealogy of Expressive Research in Anime Background Art
Structure and text by Hiroko Myokan + Tomonori Kuroda, WIT Studio
Animation Art: Standard and Individual Excellence
Text by Stefan Riekeles
Glossary
Glossary of key terms related to anime background art
Structure and text by Hiroko Myokan + Tomonori Kuroda, WIT Studio
Product Details
Original Japanese title: アニメーション美術の世界
Subtitle: 背景美術のクリエイターたち
Series: Bessatsu Taiyō / Nihon no Kokoro 334
Supervising editors: Hiroko Myokan, Stefan Riekeles
Publisher: Heibonsha
Publication date: June 2026
ISBN: 978-4-582-92334-6
Format: A4 variant
Extent: 144 pages
Language: Japanese
Original retail price in Japan: 2,750 yen incl. tax
The World of Animation Art
Creators of Background Art
This special issue of the renowned Japanese magazine series Bessatsu Taiyō is dedicated to the art of hand-painted backgrounds in Japanese animation.
From classics such as Metropolis and Ghost in the Shell to contemporary productions, the magazine offers a rare look into the creative practice of the artists who shape the visual worlds of anime. It explores how background art creates atmosphere, space, light, memory, and emotional depth — and why it is far more than simply “what appears behind the characters.”
The issue includes studio visits, artist profiles, essays, production materials, and an extensive opening conversation between director Rintarō and painter/filmmaker Yoshitoshi Shinomiya on animation, painting, cel animation, and the role of background art.
Stefan Riekeles, founder and curator of Riekeles Gallery, contributed to this issue as supervising editor. He also wrote several texts and commentaries, including the essay “Animation Art: Standard and Individual Excellence.” The publication is closely connected to the gallery’s long-standing curatorial work with Japanese anime background art and its artists.
Please note: This is a Japanese-language publication. However, the rich visual material, studio photography, production artwork, and artist features make it highly valuable for collectors, researchers, artists, and anyone interested in anime art direction and background painting.
Table of Contents
Opening Conversation
Rintarō × Yoshitoshi Shinomiya
“Background art is not merely something that exists in the back.”
Traces preserved in background paintings
Text by Hiroko Myokan and Stefan Riekeles
From the Creative Field
Studio reports, interviews, photography, and commentary on Japanese background artists and art directors
Featuring:
Shūichi Kusamori
Ryōko Majima
Hiromasa Ogura
Hiroshi Ōno
Shinji Kimura
Kōsuke Hayashi
Kaori Hino
Tomotaka Kubo
With comments by directors Makoto Shinkai and Naoko Yamada.
Pioneers of Background Art
Shichirō Kobayashi
“An avant-garde spirit in pursuit of new forms of expression”
“A person who never lost the energy to draw”
Atsushi Mukuo
“An art director who continued to transform background art”
Text by Hiroko Myokan
“Mukuo’s art and settings, still alive in the Reiwa era”
Column
Nizō Yamamoto / Kazuo Oga
Essays
The Genealogy of Expressive Research in Anime Background Art
Structure and text by Hiroko Myokan + Tomonori Kuroda, WIT Studio
Animation Art: Standard and Individual Excellence
Text by Stefan Riekeles
Glossary
Glossary of key terms related to anime background art
Structure and text by Hiroko Myokan + Tomonori Kuroda, WIT Studio
Product Details
Original Japanese title: アニメーション美術の世界
Subtitle: 背景美術のクリエイターたち
Series: Bessatsu Taiyō / Nihon no Kokoro 334
Supervising editors: Hiroko Myokan, Stefan Riekeles
Publisher: Heibonsha
Publication date: June 2026
ISBN: 978-4-582-92334-6
Format: A4 variant
Extent: 144 pages
Language: Japanese
Original retail price in Japan: 2,750 yen incl. tax
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