Memorable Course Images/Concepts

 This woodblock print has always stuck with me, as it was my favorite of the ones we saw in Berman.  The variation in line width and sharpness and the fluid curves of the water as well as the monochromatic nature of it all impress me a lot.  The story of the Bodhidharma also interested me, as I've seen darumas in manga and such.

This image struck me as I was going through the Fukushima pictures.  It just showed the ridiculousness of it all - that humans have made so much in terms of buildings and cities, and yet we make the weapons that destroy us as well.  In this case, an ostrich unknowingly traverses a radioactive area, which is sad and crazy at the same time. 

 This image was one that I knew as soon as I saw it, but hadn't really given it much thought in the past.  I really enjoyed discussing the morality of images such as these, and whether minute things like eye contact permit or prohibit such images to be shown or used in magazines or the like.  I liked that there were no definite answers, so it was up to speculation and interpretation like so many other issues.

 I really loved Takano Aya's artwork, and this one stayed with me after we spent time discussing it.  The pastel color scheme, the roundness of shapes, the simple bodies - it's all so artistically pleasing, but also interesting to analyze.

This painting remained in my mind, as it Murakami made it in response to Fukushima.  Not only is it an incredible piece, but it shows more dangers and solidarity than perhaps his previous pictures that were made as a social commentary on high art and capitalism.


Some concepts that I found really intriguing throughout the course were the ideas from "In Praise of Shadows", the Superflat Theory from Murakami Takashi, and kawaii culture.
"In Praise of Shadows" was really fascinating to me for more than Tanizaki's entertaining prose; the ideas he presented of simplicity and shadows was one that I had thought about before, but never really been able to explain in clear words.  As someone who loves bathing in natural light and the artistic surroundings of nature, I can definitely understand his sentiments.  Additionally, his comparison of traditional Japanese values with those of Westerners emphasized something I try to explain to others when I rabidly compare flashy Hollywood horror films with J-horror films (as I am wont to do).
The Superflat Theory was very interesting to me with all its flattening of values for art and politics.  The background given on the infantilization of Japan after WWII was something I had never considered, but made a lot of metaphorical sense in terms of repression and subcultures as well as the blending of the terrifying with the cute.  All of this was combined into very colorful, psychedelic paintings and sculptures that I enjoy also as an artist.
Kawaii culture is something that I've always looked down upon a bit since I was made aware of it; however, the articles we read changed my mind a little.  While I still do not really enjoy the aesthetic myself, I can respect a sense of rejecting traditional "adult" roles and wishing to prolong a freer, happier "child" state.  This interested me a lot, because there was far more to the topic than I originally gave it credit for.