Showdown ! Kuniyoshi V. Kunisada

An artist's job is to interpret, and express the aspects of life in a creative fashion. War has played a big part in shaping our human history, and many artists have portrayed their feelings about art through paintings, and even monuments. Whether it be to show; the joy of victory, the sorrow of defeat, or to educate the public on the gory realities of war. Art about war can also show us a great amount of history of the kinds of weapons that were used at the time. It is necessary for artists to interpret, and criticize all aspects of life; even ones as tragic as war, It can make the public more aware of what goes on in times of war.

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.

On Saturday, November 4th, I visited the Denver Art Museum in Denver, Colorado. The piece of art I decided to write about is called “A Mountain Symphony (Longs Peak, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado)” This two-dimensional oil on canvas painting was completed in America in 1927 by Sven Birger Sandzén. This painting has not been on public view since 1927 and is located in the Denver Art Museum in Denver, Colorado. It was a “Free Day” at the museum, so I decided to attend by myself. I was unable to get a picture of myself in front of the work of art I decided to write about, but I did get several pictures of the artwork and a picture of myself with the “Free Day” sticker. I decided to write about this work of art because it was the only piece in the museum that really stood out to me and really caught my attention. A Mountain Symphony is a lively, beautiful landscape painting with a vibrant pallet filled with luminosity and broad brushstrokes. The sculptural quality of the paint surface reflect the influence of turn-of-the century modernist techniques. The balance of color and light brings happiness and joy to the viewer.

Ukiyo-e is the name given to one of the most important art forms in all of Japan. Arriving as a new form of art in the 1700's these prints served as a record of daily life and pleasures in a newly wealthy Japanese society. The Japanese themselves had long regarded pleasure as transient because of their Buddhist heratige, because of this the word Ukiyo-e actually means "pictures of the floating world". These prints were truly art which reflected the whims of the masses. They record popular styles of dress, new hairstyles etc. They also record the popular Kabuki theater actors, the most beautiful geisha's (or prostitutes), and later even landscapes. Within the realm of Ukiyo-e there are many masters, but there is one master,

Boston’s ICA situated at Fan Pier in South Boston represents a shift from preconceived architectural constructs to more innovative forms. The building’s position in the middle of a currently undeveloped urban landscape gives it a striking entity that engages the viewer in a way that facilitates its various functions as a contemporary art museum. Furthermore its structure and location alter the population’s understanding of museum architecture as it has traditionally been defined, that it is a “shell” that contains significant artistic work. A visual paradox becomes evident between

One pleasant afternoon, my classmates and I decided to visit the Houston Museum of Fine Arts to begin on our museum assignment in world literature class. According to Houston Museum of Fine Art’s staff, MFAH considers as one of the largest museums in the nation and it contains many variety forms of art with more than several thousand years of unique history. Also, I have never been in a museum in a very long time especially as big as MFAH, and my experience about the museum was unique and pleasant. Although I have observed many great types and forms of art in the museum, there were few that interested me the most.

Interestingly, the building is similar to a tepee in that there was a small window on the top of the rounded celling. Even the elevator was spacious and adorned with tribal symbols. Therefore, before one even enters the exhibit, it is clear that the narrative is one that celebrates culture. Even Atalay, a Native American author recognizes that “… the NMAI aims to ‘recognize and affirm’… Native cultures… and [advance] knowledge and understanding of those cultures” (Atalay 600). Thus creating a sharp contrast from that of the Holocaust. Despite the hardships and the genocide which befell the Native Americans, this museum has a different narrative to preserve, one rich with culture, rather than brutality. The differences displayed in architecture and design help effectively deliver each narrative because they visually and psychologically affect each visitor, adding a deeper layer to the story, effectively conveying each

Never before have I seen a museum as grand as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. From its architecture to its massive art collection, The Met has a little bit of everything and one is sure to find something that captures his or her interest. Considering that The Met is the United States' largest art museum, it is easy to get lost within its many corridors and wings. My visit to The Met took place during the last week of July. Despite the almost unbearable heat and humidity that hung in the air, visiting museums under these climate conditions is a welcome respite from a suffocating, yet bright summer afternoon.

For over 250 years, Japan was under strict military dictatorship. However, between the 1670s through 1865 was the Tokugawa period or also known as the Edo period, where Japan found internal peace and economic growth (The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica). Not only has Japan found stability in the Edo period, creativity flourished from the lower class of artisans and merchants through ukiyo-e printmaking. The term, ukiyo-e, is a combination of uki (floating), yo (world), and e (pictures) that originated as a Buddhist term to express impermanence of human life. Ukiyo-e was experimented and developed to become a popular art form that displayed familiar subjects, and illustrations that circulated in books. This paper examines the influence of

The word ukiyo stemmed from Buddhist origins meaning floating world. It was used to describe the impermanence of the human world, and the belief that all thing are short lived. During the Edo period (1600-1868) the word ukiyo changed, the fleeting nature of life was to be enjoyed to the fullest because of it ephemeral nature. The word became synonymous with the pleasure and theater districts of Edo that were constantly changing. Ukiyo-e literally translates floating world pictures. Woodblock prints are the most representative art form of ukiyo-e and the Edo period.

The two works of art that I have chosen to analyze are 1) Jordan Casteel. Miles and JoJo. 2014. Oil on canvas, 54” x 72” and 2) Aaron Fowler. He Was. 2015. Mixed media, 134” x 165” x 108”. The themes that these works of art represent in regards to the exhibit are love, family, and pain. However, they also fall into other thematic categories. The main theme that seems to apply to both “Miles and JoJo” and “He Was” is Human Experience. Additionally, these arts differ in some ways.

Ukiyo-e significantly influenced contemporary Japanese prints (kindai hanga). Such an impact can be directly observed when comparing the Nakamura Utaemon as Tonase contemporary print (1984) by Tsuruya Kokei with Toshusai Sharaku’s Segawa Tomisaburo as Yadorigi ukiyo-e (1794-1795). Both of these prints can be categorized as okubi-e, which are Japanese woodblock prints that feature up-close portraits of their subjects by concentrating on the face and upper torso. They also depict a famous kabuki actor as the character that he is well known for playing. Other than having a similar subject matter and an identical portrayal of it, the simple, plain background, bright colors, and sense of flatness generally found in ukiyo-e are employed in Kokei’s

The Edo period set in the era of 1603-1867 was commonly known as the Tokugawa Period, this was when the Japanese society was ruled by Tokugawa Shogunate and the country’s 300 regional Daimyo, which at the time were powerful territorial lords who rules most of Japan which then was contained under strict social order, economic growth and prohibited foreign contact with outside countries. Many of japans historical artists would usually create illustrations on large scrolls of paper which are called ‘Emakimono’. Paint ceramics, calligraphy on silk or paper, use ink wash to paint vast landscapes. The most popular art form was ukiyo-e.

The ukiyo-e or the ‘floating world’ art form focuses on providing entertainment, eroticism, and beauty, with popular subjects of female prostitution, everyday objects, and florals, mirrored in Van Gogh’s work. Pleasure is an evident theme at the time as the poor viewers lived vicariously through the images. Woodblock prints were affordable and easily produced in mass quantities, spreading the usage of thick black outlines, distinct color differences, landscape images, and the seductiveness of the human form.

Lane, Richard. Images from the Floating World: The Japanese Print: Including an Illustrated Dictionary of Ukiyo-e. New York: Dorset, 1982. Print.