Tiffany+Trieu

=**Takashi Murakami **=

[|Takashi Murakami], born February 2, 1962, in Tokyo, Japan, is known as one of Japanese most famous pop-artists and in the U.S. is recognized as the Japanese Andy Warhol of the 20th century. He studied Japanese painting at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. There he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and a Ph.D. Murakami was inspired by Japanese anime, comics, and manga (Japanese comic books). His work is known for being exuberant and provoking contemporary art.

At an international level, Murakami had many solo and group exhibitions, appealing not only to Japanese onlookers but also Europe and the United States because of his infusion of popular culture from the Japanese and the West. His work ranges from paintings to sculptures and has hit the commercial world. Many of his characters or art pieces have been produced in fashion. For example, his [|Louis Vuitton] handbags display his bright colored signature eyes.

Murakami’s artwork features sculptures of cartoon characters that have large eyes and exaggerated body parts. A lot of his work is decorated with smiling flowers, brightly colored mushrooms and blinking eyes. Murakami’s best known character is Mr. DOB, a mouse-like cartoon. Mr. DOB can usually be identified as a blue mouse having a “D” and “B” on his ears. Using vibrant colors and character twists, Murakami is able to synthesize traditional Japanese art, contemporary movements in his country such as anime and manga, and the American culture. And although his work is primarily in Japan, Murakami’s inventiveness and artistic flair has spread worldwide thus, opening the door to a new wave of Japanese artists, allowing them to impact not only the art world but create a statement in the world of fashion.

Murakami is known for being provocative and expressive in his work. His famous signature character [|Mr. DOB] which is like his alter ego, appears in many of Murakami’s paintings and sculptures along with the bright colors of flowers, mushrooms, and other invented creatures. Murakami’s style is very controlled but chaotic and involves acidicly bright colors along with fine and heavy black lines to accentuate the object. One example is his style is his painting, “Tan Tan Bo Puking” also known as Gero Tan which was painted in 2002. Murakami’s Gero Tan painting depicts his famous mouse-like character Mr. DOB puking out what looks like melted goop in shades of orangy brown and dark blues. Against a sky blue background with germy shaped creatures moving toward Mr. DOB, Mr. DOB himself is detailed in exuberant colors on his ears, head and body. However, when analyzing the color scheme chosen for Mr. DOB the spectator may notice that the brightest colors are used on the top portion of Mr. DOB, which are his ears and upper portion of his head. As you descend down, moving away from the ears, the colors become more pastel and earthy toned. This use of color scheme is very effective in highlighting certain areas of the painting to create focus and emphasis on certain parts of Mr. DOB. Especially because the focus is Mr. DOB, Murakami wants his viewers to notice the “DOB”. That is why when looking at the ears, they are highlighted with the bright colors of fuscia, lazor green, sunny yellow, and dark purple. Moving down, Mr. DOB’s head is white and has colors swirled and textured on top of the white. This then shifts the focus to the head because the white contrasts all the color surrounding Mr. DOB’s head. The white could also represent being pale from illness because Mr. DOB is puking. Then when looking at his teeth and tongue they are shaded in dark colors. The teeth are outlined in bright fuscia and shaded dark red, black and gray while the tongue is a nostalgic blue. Again this portrays the idea that Mr. DOB is sick. As for the body, Mr. DOB is more earthy toned which also adds to the theme of Mr. DOB being ill and creates more emphasis and focus on Mr. DOB’s head. Furthermore, when looking at Mr. DOB’s surroundings, there are spikey creatures moving toward him in the shape of germs trying to penetrate inside Mr. DOB’s head, making him sick.

Looking at the value, Murakami’s style uses decorative or subjective value. His paintings are more subjective and expressive through his color and dark outlines. His paintings do not depict a distinct or strong light source but his use of colors gives the illusion that there is a contrast of light and dark and foreground and background. For example, Mr. DOB’s jagged teeth are dark in shading compared to Mr. DOB’s head and the light blue background which surrounds him. The dark shading gives the picture depth or makes it more plastic. As a spectator you know that inside the mouth it is dark because it is inside but shading the teeth darker allows the picture to not be so flat. The painting also becomes more decorative due to the fact that the colors are swirled and shaped in such a way that they emphasize and create dimensions. Shapes are very important in this painting because they make the painting pop out. Also, the shading and textures give the painting more texture and dimension of foreground, middleground, background since there is no definite light source. The choice of colors and textures are really important for Murakami's art style. The way the colors and the way the colors are used help bring out Mr. DOB's features and brings focus and emphasis on the "DOB".

I think from looking at samples of Murakami’s work, his core meaning is to be expressive and depict his opinions through his use of color and fusion of Japanese culture. However, in this portrayal of Mr. DOB who is his supposed alter ego, Murakami created the puking Mr. DOB painting at a time when he was feeling sick and stressed because he wanted to create something fresh to once again catch the attention of his fans.

Overall, I feel that Murakami’s work is chaotic but definitely expressive because he wows his viewers with vibrant colors and interesting sculptures. His work is very versatile. Some of his works are cute and playful, while others are more cultural. He does a wonderful job of synthesizing Japanese art with American art and commercialism.

I think that Takashi Murakami is an artist that has significantly contributed to the world of art and design because he has done a variety of art. From paintings to sculptures to designer bags, Murakami has done fabulous eye-catching work. His work is so unique and amazing that he has opened another door of commercialism by fusing his artistic talent with famous designer fashion like Louis Vuitton and even the music industry with Kanye West. Like many critics who describe Murakami, he is the Japanese Andy Warhol of the 20th century.

My Interpretation of Takashi Murakami's style





Anonymous,. Takashi Murakami. (2009, April). Scholastic Art, 39 (6), 4-5. Retrieved April 20, 2010, from Children's Module. __ Little boy: the arts of Japan's exploding subculture __. By Takashi Murakami. Lauren A.E. Shuker. (2009, October 2). Entertainment & Culture: The Artist and the Director --- East meets West meets Kirsten Dunst as Japanese pop artist Takashi Murakami collaborates with Hollywood director McG for a short film. Wall Street Journal (Eastern Edition), p. W.8. Retrieved April 20, 2010, from ABI/INFORM Global. "**Takashi Murakami**." __Encyclopædia Britannica__. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 19 Feb. 2010 < [] >. __The Village Voice__. 20 April. 2010 < [|www.villagevoice.com/.../art/mr-jellyfish-eyes/] >.
 * Sources:**