Notes

Yoshitomo Nara Prints
Yoshitomo Narada is one the most beloved contemporary Japanese artists. His enigmatic paintings, sculptures and drawings draw inspiration from the pop aesthetics of manga, Walt Disney cartoons and punk rock. The artist populates his work with both sinister and adorable children's characters that flit through the artist's canvas with sly expressions, sticking-out mouths or weapons in an extraordinary juxtaposition of innocent and fear.


Nara is a traveler with a wide-ranging experience. His art draws inspiration from different cultural traditions of Japan and Germany. His practice is influenced by his childhood memories as well as the music that influenced his first art. He also considers the spiritual teachings of Shinto which is an Eastern religious tradition that he was a student of with his father and grandfather.


The artist is well-known for his iconic pictures of sulky kids, that at first glance to be the kowa kawaii (cute) but can also evoke a spirit of melancholy and adolescent mutiny. These sulky, wide-eyed figures are a symbol of Nara's rising anxiety in the 1990s when Nara came up with his signature style.


Nara's first paintings and sculptures were a reflection of his youth. his broad-eyed sulky children were derived from the images of manga and anime that he read as a child. However, he reinterpreted the images by infusing his art with images that evoked horror. It is an illustration of the strict social rules in Japanese society, which juxtaposes terror and innocent children.


In his earlier works, which featured dark, sulky children, Nara's more recent works are more contemplative in their demeanor, often with milk-white sculptures and folkish ceramics. Recent drawings and paintings reflect the peaceful, quieter nature of Shinto's spiritual philosophies.


Miss Spring (2007) is an illustration of Nara's artistic advancement and growth. yoshitomo nara mug like many of Nara's most recent sculptures and paintings the piece incorporates several techniques that make unique bust images of the artist.


The woman in the painting has puppydog eyes and a huge head. The girl is a little rough, as well, sporting tiny animal fangs at the corners of her mouth.


Her posture is stiff and she gazes into the distance, lost in thought. Her sad expression is reminiscent of the melancholy of traditional Japanese theatre masks.


She appears in a variety of Nara's most acclaimed works such as Hothouse Doll (1995), which was auctioned off at $13.2 million at an Phillips auction in January of last year. The girl in Midnight Truth (2017), another of the works in the series, is even more menacing.


Although the figures might appear like a mix of kawaii and American twee pop however, the artist's personal experiences have greatly influenced the way he portrays them. The inner turmoil of his emotions inspired his paintings as well as sculptures depicting children who suffered from mental health when he was in Germany.


He is a part of the Superflat Movement that combines graphic design in two dimensions with the contemplative awe of fine art. His work has been appreciated by museums, collectors as well as a global public. In his later years, the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami have shaped Nara's view of the world and the work created after the earthquake. The artworks encourage viewers to become more reflective and philosophical. They also think about the impermanence of time beauty, as well as the moment.


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