This image is for Murakami’s exhibition called “Murakami –
Ego” at Al Riwaq DOHA (QATAR). This
image is one of many to help advertise for his show.
The image is a cartooned head of Murakami with the words “murakami
ego” under it; the background is also white. Murakami is wearing glasses with
hair showing on the left side of his head. The inside of his mouth is red with
his tongue being orange. His goatee is blue and with his eyebrows positioned in
a diagonal direction. His cheeks also have a meek red to them. His head and
glasses are perfectly circular as well. Inside of his glasses are diagonal
positioned eyes surrounded by white.
The focus of this painting is Murakami’s facial expression. There
are two ways of looking at the expression. The first way is looking welcoming
and inviting for people to come to his show because Murakami is laughing which signifies
that he is pleased and happy. The second way is that he believes that he is
unworthy of being in the position that he is in because of the red on his
cheeks which signify that he is blushing; the blushing shows that he is
shameful or embarrassed. Murakami has voiced his opinion before of what he
thinks of the West and how Japan should be their own instead of being what the
West wants them to be. He is shameful and/or embarrassed because he thinks that
he is not deserving to be one of the ones that voices their opinion for what is
best for Japan.
I think Murakami uses the word “ego” for this reason. By
being embarrassed for the position he thinks he is in, he demonstrates that his
ego is not that big. The word “ego” is also bigger than “murakami” because
Japan is bigger than himself again for be not worthy for standing where he is.
This image is the painting called Eraser Girl by Akane Koida.
It is acrylic on canvas painted in 2006.
The painting is of a teenage girl holding a giant eraser.
She has purple hair and only revealing one side of her face. Her gaze is upward
with her contorted body facing that direction. She is wearing light purple pajamas with her
hand is blocking her mouth. She also is wearing makeup which is applied around
her eyes. The eraser is almost as big as her with a purple covering. The eraser
has been used because part of it is missing. The eraser is red with a little
purple in it. The background is a whitish purple with purple figures that
remind me of stars.
Her contorted body shows
that she is vulnerable and afraid because she looks like she is in a fetal
position. Her big eye and her gaze looking up signifies that she is afraid. The
way she is holding the eraser signifies that she is scared because she is
holding it in a way that it is protecting her. The eraser allows her to erase
the bad memories that she has had which is the only thing protecting her.
The color purple is main color used in this painting. Purple’s
main meaning for this painting is to show that she is still a child even though
she is a teenager because most children love purple, and it symbolizes magic
and mystery. The star shapes in the background also show that she is a child.
Purple’s other meaning is seeking spiritual fulfillment and having peace of
mind which this girl is trying to attain with the eraser.
I think it's neat that you extended the image to represent much greater things (e.g., Murakami symbolizing Japan). It is a difficult image to analyze because it's an advertisement rather than maybe more political pieces. The second image was an interesting choice, here that she uses an eraser as a shield or some sort of blanket can be interpreted in multiple ways. I like that you brought in the significance of the color purple into it, too. I would just suggest examining the ambiance each image gives (the mood/tone).
ReplyDeleteWow, that was a really great analysis. The images you chose were also really great. Like Isabella said, I really like how you brought out so much meaning from these images. You have a very keen eye; I wouldn't have caught the detail of Murakami blushing. You were very thorough and analayzed everything. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your first analysis very much since I read the image differently but drew the same conclusions about it. From what little anime I've watched, I've always registered those little cheek marks with exhaustion of fatigue. Essentially, Murakami is welcoming and friendly while being honest about his exhaustive man hours in assembling the exhibit. I unfortunately don't have much to add concerning the second image. I really enjoyed your examination of the stars, they really assisted in bringing out that terrified/wonderstruck expression.
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