浮世絵 Ukiyo-e, l’estetica del mondo fluttuante, as a contemporary value

浮世絵

L’estetica “ del mondo fluttuante” viene introdotta durante il periodo EDO (1600-1868), dominato dallo shogunato dei TOKUGAWA.

Questa tecnica artistica divenne molto popolare a Edo durante la seconda metà del XVII secolo

 a partire dalle opere monocromatiche di Hishikawa Moronobu (ca. 1670).

 All'inizio, si utilizzava soltanto inchiostro cinese,

 in seguito alcune stampe vennero colorate a mano con dei pennelli, ma nel XVIII secolo Suzuki Harunobu sviluppò la tecnica della stampa policromatica per produrre nishiki-e.

UNA CULTURA DI MASSA: albori di un arte POP (e non della pop art)

Gli Ukiyo-e non erano costosi perché erano prodotti in massa ed erano pensati principalmente per gli abitanti della città che non potevano permettersi dei veri dipinti. Alle origini, il soggetto principale degli Ukiyo-e era la vita della città, in particolare le attività e le scene dei quartieri dei divertimenti:

belle cortigiane, grossi lottatori di sumo e attori famosi erano ritratti mentre svolgevano il loro lavoro. In seguito divennero popolari anche i paesaggi, mentre non apparvero quasi mai soggetti politici e di altre classi sociali all'infuori di quelle più basse (composte appunto da cortigiane, lottatori di sumo e attori).

Il sesso non era un vero e proprio tema a sé, anche se comparve spesso in queste stampe.

Gli artisti e gli editori erano talvolta sottoposti a sanzioni per queste stampe sessualmente esplicite, dette shunga.

La bellezza femminile UKIYO-E, nel passato e oggi: ritratti BIJINGA (bijinga portraicts and the feminine beautyness, in the past and now)

美人畫

(Bijinga lit., "beautiful person picture") is a generic term for pictures of beautiful women in Japanese art, especially in woodblock printing of the ukiyo-e genre, which predate photography.

 The term can also be used for modern media, provided the image conforms to a somewhat classic representation of a woman, usually depicted wearing kimono.

Nearly all ukiyo-e artists produced bijinga, it being one of the central themes of the genre. However, a few, including Utamaro, Suzuki Harunobu, Ito Shinsui, Toyohara Chikanobu and Torii Kiyonaga, are widely regarded as the greatest innovators and masters of the form.

 

 

北斎漫画

 

"Hokusai's Sketches” is a collection of scketches of various subjects by the Japanese artist Hokusai.

 

 

Subjects of the sketches include landscapes, flora and fauna, everyday life and the supernatural. The word manga in the title does not refer to the contemporary story-telling manga, as the sketches in the work are not connected to each other. Block-printed in three colours (black, gray and pale flesh), the Manga comprise literally thousands of images in 15 volumes, the first published in 1814, when the artist was 55.

Chris Gangitano

Kawaiizzazioni (to makes it kawaii)

 Tomoko and her Kawaiizzazioni technique:
digital art and vectorial art, painting, technique and variable sizes from A3 to 100x70 cm
A series of 20 tables and about 10 paintings KAWAIZZANO (make kawaii) brand, works of art and avant-pop icons, i mean POP massive culture, imaginations or world-famous.

Enfanta Margarita, Kitty, Coke: as 3 of the global strong icons

As in the artwork of David and Goliath, or that one with the last meal (Emmaus), or Bacchus (with Nutella) as well Judith and Olophernes (above), Tomoko takes Caravaggio, another KAWAIIZATED subject is the famous  "Enfanta Margarita de Las Meninas by Velazquez, mixed up of the bags of "Zara " or other main massive brand ...

Again with" Venus of Pasta "by Titian's Venus (which has influenced the work of Maja desnuda by Goya), however,  we can find " pilov" of " Hello Kitty"with venus or "maja" that rest in packages of pasta and she looks like are an icon of consume enjoyable mass product of european and Japanese, imagination of global economy.

Venus of Pasta (vectorial art version)

Venus of Pasta (with Kitty) Oil painting version

Other global brands like NUTELLA, Coke, Kikkomann, Nissin cup noodles, playstation psp, Smart car etc... are reinterpreted and made cool and kawaii, becoming subject of the "palette" creative of Tomoko.

kitty and Coke, artwork donate for Sanrio Foundation (project sanrio For Smiles)

www.tomokonagao.info
 
Typically in an artistic Micropop style, artists (mainly womens) makes repossess a massive icons, massive brand cultures in order to make them "own" and use them as a display of "your" imagination instead of fancy reset operation and diversity of the brands that tend to engage in mass consumption. 

An "allegory" superflat of the era of globalization, told with its symbols and its products.

>> For example, now, this is a work painting by Tomoko Nagao, one of the newest. I consider it as his point of arrival (developed from digital vectorial artworks) and a meaningful image to criticize subtly but effectively the current globalized era, the economy of the maddened virtual markets:

Narcissus (The Capital?) reflects, with SCRAPED knees. He is reflected in the iconography of the work of Caravaggio as a puddle. is reflected with the Coca-Cola, will become sad because maybe transform in a massive Brand (as in the flower that will effectively transformed).


Chris Gangitano

a "visionary" preview by Hokusai: Tsunami

pubblicata da Christian Gangitano il giorno martedì 25 ottobre 2011 alle ore 13.19

Hokusai Operates a "visionary" preview by the famous print that represents the great wave  (神奈川沖浪裏 Kanagawa Oki Nami Ura) of the tsunami, and many waves of ocean's subject as work and a philosophy that already announced a difficult relationship but admiration and awareness of the nature "friend - enemy" and its KAMI, his forces that influenced the japanese's sensitive creative, as well his poetry, fables, arts.

The aesthetics of floating "ukiyoe" (浮世 絵), was in fact the first real example of pre-industrial cultures on the artistic currents of the first 900 (Impressionists, Van Gogh etc ...) and the European avant-garde movements. An important advance of mass pop culture.

  (神奈川沖浪裏 Kanagawa Oki Nami Ura)

Today an independent again and fascinating japan's style has spread rapidly around the world through Manga and Anime (by Osamu Tezuka, Hayao Miyazaki, Otomo, goes on ...), through the small literature and cinema, and also through the poetic Otaku Superflat (raised by Murakami Takashi Nara Yoshimoto, etc ...) continuing with the currents and variations Micropop  expressions of Pixel Multimedia Generation of Japanese young artists, are still exploring nature mystery and human deep relations with nature happens and  nature feeling  ...

　富嶽百景　海上の不ニ

Katsushika Hokusai

cg

what on new of art, micropop, pixel generation of youth japanese's "bad girls"

whats on new about art, micropop, pixel generation of the youth japanese's "bad girls". From the problems of contemporary adolescence pixel generation (Akane Koide, Rei Sato, Mahomi  Kunikata, Makiko Kudo, Keiko Mori  etc...) to the identity Micropop as global and critical mass of consumerism (the generation that Nara and Murakami was the teacher, as example Tomoko Nagao -here in italy-, Cinatsu Ban, Ciho Ahoshima, Aya Takano (in USA, taiwan and Japan ... collected also by french's) the generation which has been tested and proven as a mainstream product (such as example is Hello Kity).

AYA TAKANO

TOMOKO NAGAO: FUWARI -unflatable sculpture-

I'm trying to make people understand or even to understand the phenomenon to the industry.
Movement "micropop" here in Italy, I'm trying to make it known through the arts and social networks, unfortunately it is a slow path, only the young give me satisfaction. Obviously young people in Italy do not have a purchasing power.

Rei Sato

Ciho Ahoshima

I was already organize in Milan the first preview exhibition "micropop & nipposugegstioni" as presentation of such awesome arts scene, and where come from as culture suggestions and influence.

For example, the exhibition "Winter Garden" was produced in 2009 under the curation of art critic Midori Matsui as a sequel to the exhibition The Door into Summer (Art Tower Mito, Japan, 2007). Winter Garden features 35 works—drawings, paintings, and video works — by 14 young Japanese artists active from the latter half of the 1990s throughout the first decade of the 21st century. The artists present their distinctive views of world through the combination of fragments, imbuing the obsolete or the commonplace with new functions or meaning, a style of _expression that Matsui dubbed “Micropop.”

Aya Takano

Keiko Moritsugu

Mahomi Kunikata

Akane Koide

Akane Koide

Today, many artists' MICROPOP "bad girls "were understood by KAIKAIKIKI or Art galleries French (or collectors, owners of big brands) and New York. They had a chance to explain and express themselves. a good thing but often runs the risk of endangering the fragile sensitivity, psychological expectations of these young Japanese artists.

A generations after OTAKU, across AKIKOMORI subjectivity, a pixelated generations of the new internet global era.
愛 
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more images here:http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150091802486450.288646.628401449&l=48f13618ec&type=1

new future-present asian domain culture is coming soon

As many facebook friends already know, I am working for events of "premium brand" company, featuring art, culture and theater by artists in unconventional or historycal locations throughout the city of Milan.

untill today, i created projects for high profile scenic and experiential events designed to exploit excellence in the art, culture and theater world for the benefit of corporate clients

from 2000 till NOW I am also working deeply for culture, my aims is demonstrate the connection of new japanese pop cultures and global new arts and the connection with western's art (old and new).

i am interested now to show the new tendencies of japanese art, such as visuals, photos, performing arts and more expression languages.

I think that  work and visual language of many japanese and asian artist is NOW (particular history moment) very important for the imagination of the new youth generation of artist and creative, in italy and europe.

I think that european must know well the new future-present asian domain culture is coming soon and very fast here, still many people doesn't know it.

Culture and arts are the best way for make it know us.

as well, for my culture aims (western and eastern relations in art) is important and welcome the support, ideas, suggestions of culture people.

thank you, grazie.

愛  love
美  bello


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FAR WEST and NEAR EAST: an analysis through art.

OCCIDENTE ESTREMO e VICINO ORIENTE: un analisi attraverso l'arte.

(tratto dalla nota pubblicata da Christian Gangitano su facebook il giorno martedì 2/8/2011 alle ore 13.27)

 

Oggi si parla di OCCIDENTE ESTREMO nei termini del confine tra ORIENTE e OCCIDENTE , nuovo assetto geopolitico, individuato nella west coast degli USA, che ha cambiato l'asset del potere e del controllo dall' oceano ATLANTICO (fino a ora centro dominante, confine tra costa est ((capitale NY)) degli USA e Europa) all'oceano PACIFICO, costa west, Los ANGELES, California etc.. confine degli USA con la CINA e l'asia emergente e quindi confine estremo di tutto l'occidente con la sua cultura. Una zona che vede la piu importante community di giapponesi e asiatici fuori da cina e giappone.

Come sapete é un argomento che mi interessa molto, che studio dal 2004, con un analisi attraverso l'arte trattata con diverse mostre e evnti, anche qui nel mio recente BLOG.

Attraverso la mostra MICROPOP e NIPPOSUGGESTIONI (di seguito la cover del catalogo, la pagina per la comunicazione e alcune opere esposte in mostra) ho cercato di dare un primo esempio dell'ascesa delle culture pop giapponesi e asiatiche e della loro influenza sull immaginario dell arte figurativa occidentale, una mostra senza budget, sicuramente un bentchmark in italia.

CATALOGO della mostra

Invito e comunicazione, illustration "animal guide" by Tomoko

 

DE MOLFETTA: GOLD-RAKE, from micropop & nipposuggestioni, exhibition in Milan

KUKULA: Fluffy and Cloudia, exhibit for micropop & nipposuggestioni, in Milan

NICOZ BALBOA: one of the artwork exhibit for micropop & nipposuggestioni, in Milan

Ho curato anche la SANRIO for smiles exhibitions, durante il MIjapan for japan '11, mostra charity for japan che offre anche uno sguardo importante sulla icone pop giapponesi di cui SANRIO é portavoce mondile (non solo con Hello Kitty) e la forte fascinazione che queste ICONE, divenuti LOGO esercitano sull immaginario degli artisti POP contemporanei di tutto il mondo.

Certo l'OPERA di TOMOKO, che seguo da vicino e promuovo é molto rappresentativa di tutto ciò,  una produzione che a me piace molto e nella quale ho ritrovato le icone e i brand della mia e delal sua cultura: le KAWAIIZZAZIONI

TOMOKO (kawaiizzazioni, 2011): KIKKOMAN

Uno spostamento quindi epocale del fulcro dei mercati e degli scambi culturali é in atto e noi abbiamo la fortuna di essere non solo spettatori ma protagonisti e parte attiva, cosi come l'abbiamo avuta (la mia generazione) nel vedere e nell'attuare il passaggio dall'analogico al digitale.

Ecco una descrizione del libro di Rampini, in sintesi:
""Fu nel 2009 che lasciai Pechino per New York. Per me era un ritorno negli Stati Uniti. Avevo già vissuto sull'altra costa, a San Francisco, fino al 2004. In mezzo, quei cinque anni in Cina sono stati lunghi quasi quanto un secolo. Non per me: per i rapporti di forza tra Asia e Occidente. Lasciai la California quando ancora la Cina era un'allieva, impegnata a emulare il maestro americano. Ho ritrovato un'America stremata dalla più grave crisi economica dopo la Grande Depressione. Una crisi che la Cina ha evitato, in modo magistrale, usando le leve del suo capitalismo di Stato. Così la storia ha avuto un'accelerazione improvvisa. Era chiaro che il XXI secolo sarebbe stato asiatico, ma in poco tempo lo scatto dell'Oriente ha dato la sensazione che i giochi siano già fatti. La Cina sembra padrona del proprio futuro, lanciata in una modernizzazione che brucia le tappe, l'America si trascina faticosamente fuori dal tunnel." L'America che Federico Rampini ritrova dopo cinque anni trascorsi nel cuore della tumultuosa crescita cinese è un paese in cui il debito pubblico e i tagli feroci hanno reso ogni infrastruttura fatiscente, in cui strade, metropolitane e ospedali non sono paragonabili a quelli realizzati nelle grandi capitali asiatiche. La Cina, invece, spinge ormai la sua influenza fino a luoghi insospettabili. "Occidente estremo" è un mosaico di esperienze vissute, di luoghi e di personaggi incontrati nei due imperi in competizione. "

CG
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ENGLISH translation (short-light version):

FAR WEST and NEAR EAST: an analysis through art.
published by Christian Gangitano the day Tuesday, August 2, 2011 at 13:27

Today we talk about in terms of the FAR WEST border between East and West, the new geopolitical order, located in the west coast of the USA, which has changed the assets of power and control from 'Atlantic Ocean (up to now the dominant center, the border between east coast ((capital NY)) U.S. and Europe) to the Pacific Ocean, west coast, Los Angeles, California, etc. .. U.S. border with China and Asia and the emerging extreme east and south east asia, extreme border of the western world with its culture. One area that sees the most important Japanese and Asian community outside of China and Japan.

As you know, is a topic that interests me a lot, I study from 2004, with an analysis through art also covered in my recent BLOG: COMUNICAREARTE: East and West relations in art
 Through the exhibition MICROPOP NIPPOSUGGESTIONI I tried to give a prime example, here in italy, of the rise of Japanese and Asian pop cultures and their influence on the imagination of Western figurative art, an exhibition without a budget, definitely a bentchmark in Italy.
 I also curate the SANRIO for smiles exhibitions during the '11 MIjapan for japan, japan events for charity, which also offers an important look at the pop icons of Japanese characters culture whose is SANRIO worldwide (not only with Hello Kitty) and the strong fascination that these ICONS, LOGO become, engaged on the imaginations of contemporary artists POPs worldwide.
 Certainly the work of TOMOKO, which I follow closely, and i am promote as very representative of this research, a production that I like much and in which I found the icons and the brand of my and its culture: the KAWAIIZZAZIONI(makes it Kawaii)
 So an important momentous a shift of focus of the markets and cultural exchange is taking place and we are fortunate to be not just spectators but actors and active part, as well as we had (my generation) to see the passage and implementation  from analogue to digital.

 Here is a description of the book of Federico Rampini, in summary:

"" It was in 2009 I left Beijing for New York. For me it was a return to the U.S.. I had already lived on the other coast, in San Francisco until 2004. In between those five years in China have long been almost as much as a century. Not for me: the power relations between Asia and the West. I left California when China was still a student, undertook to emulate the American master. I found an America devastated by the most serious economic crisis since the Great Depression. A crisis that China has avoided, in a masterly way, using the levers of his state capitalism. So the story took a sudden acceleration. It was clear that the twenty-first century would be Asia, but before long the shot of the East gave the feeling that the games are already made. China seems master of its own future, launched a modernization burning stages, America pulls hard out of the tunnel. "Federico Rampini America found after five tumultuous years in the heart of the growth in China is a country where public debt and ferocious cuts have made every crumbling infrastructure, where roads, subways and hospitals are not comparable to those made in the big Asian capitals. China, however, now leads his influence to places unexpected. "west end" is a mosaic of experiences, places and characters encountered in the two competing empires. "

CG
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