Modern Art And Japanese Art

In a world that has become immune to accepting all types of art, Marya Mannes believes we have lost our standards and ability to identify something as “good” or “bad”. In her essay, “How Do You Know It’s Good”, she discusses society’s tendency to accept everything out of fear of wrongly labelling something as being good or bad. She touches on various criteria to judge art, such as the artist’s purpose, skill and craftsmanship, originality, timelessness, as well as unity within a piece rather than chaos. She says that an individual must decide if something is good “on the basis of instinct, experience, and association” (Mannes). I believe that by using standards and the process of association, we will be able to judge what makes an art piece good in comparison to others. However, Mannes forces me to consider the difference between what may be appealing versus what is actually good, and when deciding which art we should accept, which is truly more important. I believe that “good” and “bad” are two ends of a large, subjective spectrum of grey area. It is possible for a piece of art to be good in some areas and bad in others, and if something does not live up to all of our standards, it does not necessarily mean it should be dismissed. Thus, I believe my personal standards for judging art are based on which my standards are largely based on the personal reaction evoked from a piece of art. Though I agree with Mannes’ standards to an extent, I believe that certain standards, such as evoking a personal response, can be more telling of if a piece of art is good as opposed to its timelessness, or the level of experience of an artist in his/her craft.

In the contemplation of art, or rather the conceptually intangible definition it currently possess, it is imperative to be mindful that “art” has been utilized as a promotional device, ceremonial item, aesthetically purposed article or perhaps none of these or all. It is because of this vague term that Carolyn Dean, in her text, “The Trouble with (The Term) Art”, makes a case for the consequences of applying the term “art” in societies that lacked such a notion which also accounts for the Western-centric lens the field intrinsically utilizes when viewing non-Western art. The claim is deftly supported by the utilization of expert accounts in the subject, alternative perspectives for what is considered the current norm, and self-examining questions,

In the late 18th century both Japan and Europe were experiencing many new artistic and intellectual developments. While Europe’s developments were increasingly political, more and more people wanted rights for women along with protection from the state. Japan on the other hand was progressively modernizing from their isolated feudal society into its modern form now. Beginning in Tokyo many new intellectual advances came from studying the western sciences and techniques. Authors like Rousseau and Wollstonecraft wrote revolutionary books in Europe that changed the way people thought about themselves and what rights they should be born with; they led people to question the state and fight for what they believed to be justifiably right.

Original- Hideous demonic ogre like creatures who just want feast on human flesh and to terrorize humankind. They can shapeshift and take human form because of their gruesome appearance reflects their evil disposition. They have horns on their heads and wear loincloths and have diabolical grimaces. They were feared because of their cravings for human flesh.

On October 18th, 2017 the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston opened up an exhibition of contemporary works by Takashi Murakami, called "Takashi Murakami: Lineage of Eccentrics" it is one of the most imaginative exhibitions out today. The new modern works are juxtaposed with traditional pieces from the Museum of Fine Arts established collection of Japanese art. The exhibition shows the viewer how Murakami’s contemporary works has taken reference from the bountiful and dynamic art of the historical past. The exhibition includes, paintings and sculpture created by the Murakami in direct response to Japanese pieces from the Museum of Fine Arts collection.

But what is “superflat”? Murakami describes the term loosely to keep it diverse, but he describes it as a link between “... the flat picture planes of traditional Japanese paintings” and “... the lack of any distinction between high and low in Japanese culture” (Lubow). One may take the literal meaning and interpret the term as describing the art as being done a completely flat, two dimensional plane. As I was looking through Murakami’s works, it sparked curiosity inside of me. I chose not to believe that his works had such simple meanings. There had to be an underlying message somewhere. One that explains more about the artist’s true feelings. I wanted to see what caused Murakami to start doing these types of pieces. What was his intention? How has his life been affected? Because of his vague descriptions, and simplistic pieces, I couldn’t help but wonder, what else could Takashi Murakami be

The term Japonisme, refers to the influence of Japanese art on Western art (“Japonisme”). During the second half of the nineteenth century, there was an outbreak of admiration for all things Japanese; being that the hidden works of Japan had finally been unveiled to the Western population. In 1859, Japan opened its doors to the concept of overseas trade in turn allowing for Oriental art and household goods to come flooding into Europe. Japanese prints became an immediate hit amongst Western artists; being that they were significantly different from the works of art in which were prevalent within the West. The bright, exotic colors were immensely captivating and the Japanese notion of space opened the eyes of many artists.

Philosopher Arthur Danto, author of “The Artworld,” an artistic criticism, states that “to see something as art requires something that the eye cannot descry—an atmosphere of artistic theory, a knowledge of the history of art: an artworld” (201). Artistic theory, according to Danto, requires the presence of a subject, style, rhetorical ellipses, and that of historical context. Danto is capable of developing this view on art with the aid of an imaginary character, Testadura. Testadura, however, makes mistakes, as well as corrections, about the objects before him.

Men usually wear Western-style suits for work and out on the street. They also wear Western clothes when going out or relaxing at home

This paper provided an opportunity to take a deeper look into the country of Japan by conducting a Global Cultural Analysis. Throughout this paper the following four research areas were explored: 1.What is the major elements and dimensions of culture in Japan? 2. How are these elements and dimensions integrated by locals conducting business in Japan? 3. How does U.S. culture and business compare with the elements and dimensions of culture integrated by the locals conducting business in Japan? 4. What are the implications for U.S. businesses that wish to conduct business with Japan?

Post-war Japanese society is a world where High and Low art is blurred together by otaku, such as anime, and social class. However, Takashi Murakami straddles the line. Murakami spills a mix of Nihanga and Otaku into the canvases, plastic toys, handbags, shoes, etc; endorsing his own theory/style named “Superflat”. Using strategical subject matter such as popular Japanese comic figures combined with ukiyo-e(traditional Japanese block prints), and addressing these contrasting qualities to outside cultures; Murakami intensifies what Pop Art accomplished, art versus material. On other feelings, one could argue that “Superflat” isn’t a unique, Japan-identified style, that “Superflat” is a humiliation to the Contemporary Art world because of its commercialism. Lastly, that is a continuation of the already well developed Pop Art. On the supporting side, Murakami’s “Superflat” is a high-energy, cross-culture style that serves as a new way to represent the high and low of art that is considerably unique to Japan. To support this, Murakami’s past and present artwork will have to be established chronologically to illustrate how the timeline affects his work.

Portrait of an Arhat (Rakan) was created in Edo period of the Japanese art culture. This period started in 1615-1868 when culture expression started to really blossom for the Japanese culture (Singer). From statues, lavish paintings, and religion the art speaks vibrant vibrations. This culturally diverse period gets its name from the city of Edo, known as Tokyo modern day. Which became the headquarters of the government when Tokugawa Ieyasu (1542 – 1616) unified the country (Department of Asian Art). The Tokugawa regime was started in 1603, when the emperor, in “recognition of Ieyasu’s supremacy on the battlefield”, appointed him shogun. Shogun is the highest military position you can carry in Japan (Singer). After this Japan had strict laws on not using motor vehicles were put into place. Going into the 1630s, contact with the outside world was stopped through “official prohibition of foreigners” (Department of Asian Art). Around 1720 Edo had a population of “more than one million residents having more population than London or Paris at the time” (Singer). According to Art of Edo Japan Kyoto, was city of temples and shrines. It was the leading center of arts and crafts production with a population of close to 400,000 (Singer).

This Paper will be an analysis of the development of Japanese landscape painting, analyzing the historical context behind these paintings and what led to the changes in style. Both of these paintings are representative of their specific culture during this rapidly changing time and these changes will be discussed in relation to the artwork. I am going to be discussing Japanese landscape painting, the outside influences shaping Japanese landscape painting but also focusing on the internal elements of Japanese culture shaping the style of artworks. The changing techniques and styles as well as the changing political climate will all be looked at.

Shiro Kuramata (1934-91) was a Japanese designer best known for his furniture and interior design, which gave the modern culture a creative voice. Many will identify with the chair he designed for the Vitra Design Museum in 1987 titled, How High the Moon (fig 1). The piece was inspired by an old jazz song and is part of the permanent collection at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. It is designed as a spacious armchair with woven threads of expanded metal; the piece weighs little more than a leaf, and can withstand robust use . His other works include entire storefronts designed for his friend Issey Miyake, for whom Kuramata created over 100 retail interiors . One of these works is Bergdorf Goodman in New York (fig 2.) designed in 1984 ,

“Painting today is pure intuition and luck and taking advantage of what happens when you splash the stuff down. “- Francis Bacon. However when I learnt more about history of art and the way each movement and happenings in the world inspired artist to make new works, I was able to see much more than just a canvas with random paints and sketches. The interesting part about this concept is that each piece of art could be interpreted in many different ways. In contemporary art there isn’t right and wrong, each of us view and find different meanings and connections with artworks.