Modern Japanese Art

June 4, 2006 11:59 AM

My earliest memory was when I was three. I had a fever and my mother was wiping a cold wet rag on my body. There were fish swimming in my room, as though I was underwater, but I could breathe just fine. That's why I was surprised to find this. "The contemporary art in Japan (english) is naturally influenced by the world contemporary art. But the power of the Japanese traditions, the oppressive presence of a dense urban environment and the various traumatism undergone by Japan for 60 years (defeat of 1945, Hiroshima, earthquakes, economic crisis, etc.) involve a production very rich, original and little known."
posted by sluglicker (6 comments total)

Awesome post.
posted by BackwardsCity at 12:11 PM on June 4, 2006

Very cool!
posted by meringue at 12:24 PM on June 4, 2006

What the hell is this?
posted by Acey at 1:14 PM on June 4, 2006

Acey, a peacock?
posted by BeerFilter at 1:20 PM on June 4, 2006

But the power of the Japanese traditions, the oppressive presence of a dense urban environment and the various traumatism undergone by Japan for 60 years (defeat of 1945, Hiroshima, earthquakes, economic crisis, etc.) involve a production very rich, original and little known.

A rather sweeping, strange, and specious statement!
posted by dydecker at 3:14 PM on June 4, 2006

dydecker -- The statement that the "power of Japanese traditions, the oppressive presence... etc." may not be reflected in the art shown in these (still pretty interesting) links. But take a minute a think about the oeuvre of Miyazaki. Every word of that crudely worded "various traumatism" statement is relevent to Miyazaki -- the end all and be all of Japanese art in our time -- especially "very rich, original and little known." We live in the the age of Miyazaki, the way that 16th century Italians lived in the age of Leonardo, and 19th century Parisians lived in the age of (variously) Courbet, Monet, Manet, etc. I can't think of any other surpassingly great artist of our time whose work is so freighted with a nation's tragic history, its traditions, and peculiarities -- and yet feels so light, and is so uncannily uplifiting. All Japanese art is interesting now, because it partakes of the same time and history as Miyazaki's, and so, however indirectly, relates to it.
posted by Faze at 6:14 AM on June 5, 2006