February 14th, 2011 · 2 Comments
It’s been a long time since I’ve done one of these, but the other day I was looking at a print by Yoshitomo Nara, and it occurred to me that he would be the perfect choice for an Artist Cheatsheet. Seriously… why didn’t I think of this before?
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The Japanese artist has dreamed up, and for many years been adding to, an alternate universe of puppies and doll-like girls who remain forever innocent in the confines of his idiosyncratic realm. The girls are achingly- cute, if ever such a thing existed, and convey a lot of spiritual allure despite their alien-ness. And while many artists depict children and try to convey the pleasures of childhood, Nara is really the grandfather of this theme in this day and age. His influence runs far and wide but here are some of my favorite artists whose work embody his youthful spirit.
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Ashley G
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Juri Ueda
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Nancy Mungcal / pretty little thieves
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Yosuke Ueno
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Trish Grantham
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Lisa Marie Godfrey
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Nobody’s Fool, featuring two and a half decades of work by Yoshitomo Nara closed earlier this month, and I’m kicking myself for having missed it! The show, which took place at Asia Society in NYC, somehow slipped under my radar and, sadly, looks like just my cup of tea.
Source: Suzanne DeChillo for The NY Times
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Source: Suzanne DeChillo for The NY Times
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Mr. Nara’s is a cuddlier, even nerdier sensibility. He is best known for tackling or, perhaps more accurately, finessing life’s big questions with a cast of irresistible, cartoonish little girls and dogs. The girls rule. Rendered foremost in luminous paintings as simple shapes on monochrome grounds, they can be beatific or blissed-out, but tend more often toward resentful, rebellious or demonic…
Childhood emotions and memories and their persistence through life — the children we once were, the children we remain — are primary among Mr. Nara’s subjects. His art is the product of a painfully lonely childhood salvaged by an early and profound love of rock music. – Roberta Smith for The New York Times
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All images are from Asia Society unless otherwise noted.
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I think I’m going to buy this postcard set to help ease the pain.
Did anyone make it?
