Takashi Murakami - Artist

[ETROsexualJ]

i don't agree with what you said, especially since it's an opinion, but i am not uneducated about art. nice word choice, did you go to thesaurus.com for erudite and blasé? get off your high horse. congratulations, you live in new york, you are so hip-to-be. murakami is like candy for the hipster art set. there is nothing really "new" or "innovative" about what he's doing with the form (anime, manga, interpretations of otaku culture) and personally i find it boring and overrated because there's a complete disconnect between calling someone "the next andy warhol" and bringing a form of art thats been popular for over 30 years (despite only catching on in the US in the last 15 or so) to a larger stage. murakami is a good artist but in no way, shape, or form, will he ever amount to more than someone playing with a form. i see no innovation in what he's doing, and while its pretty to look at, the whole post-modern posturing and japanese pop-culture references will be lost upon those that will never bother to understand where he's coming from.

its just not my bag, baby.

Stop reading art reviews and just enjoy art. People who think too much about art are completely missing the point.

 

[jeepster]

Stop reading art reviews and just enjoy art. People who think too much about art are completely missing the point.

i'm not reading reviews. i went to the exhibit, its my reaction that we're talking about here. after seeing it, i wasn't impressed - i.e. my opinion
i go to museums quite often

for a real impressive exhibit, go to the guggenheim and see Cai Guo-Qiang's installations.

 

[Crying Diamonds]

Stop reading art reviews and just enjoy art. People who think too much about art are completely missing the point.

I totally agree.

 

[ilaughead]

Stop reading art reviews and just enjoy art. People who think too much about art are completely missing the point.

Isn't the beauty of art that it can be read into and thought about?

Especially with Murakami, whose works' face value contrasts so much with his real meaning.

And I'm going to have to partially agree with Jeepster here, Murakami may be 'of the moment', but he's been doing a pretty tired shtick for a while now...

 

[helmut.newton]

I love Murakami's work. And he is so funny and nice for such a big artist.

I saw one of his toys at the Gallery and it was $220! For a plush toy. I'm going to buy it one day. Its been there forever

 

[helmut.newton]

I love this piece a lot. I saw it in a documentary about Murakami I think and the asking price was around $300, 000 !!! !

And its only acrylic on canvas!!

But its so cool !
"727" (1996)

english.kaikaikiki.co.jp

 

[helmut.newton]

Murakami also does installation art (that isn't necessarily related to anime/manga) which a lot of people might not know about. Below is an example of his installations.

"Randoseru Project" (1991)

english.kaikaikiki.co.jp

 

[helmut.newton]

"Polyrhythm" (1991)

english.kaikaikiki.co.jp

 

[helmut.newton]

Some photos from his retrospective at The Geffen Contemporary:

cubeme.com

 

[helmut.newton]

How cool are these wallets?! I want all of them! I would frame them and put it on my wall

cubeme.com

 

[helmut.newton]

This piece is also amazing. It's huge, dimensions-wise, and its super expensive. But again, its beautiful.

kissfmseattle

 

[helmut.newton]

Imagine these in your room

bombshellllifestyle.blogspot

 

[helmut.newton]

These are his newest works. They were exhibited at the Blum & Poe gallery in Los Angeles.

They seem a lot darker than his previous work...

blumandpoe.com

 

[reese06]

I like the pieces in the second picture better. They're quite interesting.

 

[helmut.newton]

A press release for that exhibition ^^^

In a sensational display of new paintings, Takashi Murakami presents three distinct series—Daruma portraits, Korin landscapes, and abstractions—each signaling a playful turn toward the optical and gestural.

Each image is built up from an innumerable mosaic of digital fragments that result in a visual unity that complicates the boundary between visceral and virtual realms of perception. This technical strategy is part of the artist’s larger interest in the power of fantasy and deception rooted in special effects technologies developed by Industrial Light and Magic in George Lucas films and in integrating this genre into his own practice.

Departing from the refined formalism of his previous work, the paintings combine a new lexicon of dramatic techniques ranging from sprayed ink blots, drips, Benday dots and thick calligraphic brush strokes with a brilliantly rich palette of pastels, deep hues and metallic leaf layers that entertain the eye’s movement along the surface.

The works also contain the artist’s continued interest in the decorative aesthetics found in the 18th century Rimpa school and the dynamic affects of Zen ink paintings by Kyoto school Eccentric artists from the Edo period.

Enhancing the direct relationship between calligraphy and abstraction, the three Daruma portraits depict the great 6th century sage who introduced Zen Buddhism, and are identified both in image and signature (Daruma daishi=Daruma the Great) writ large. In Release Chakra’s gate at this instant, the artist flattens Daruma’s corpulent head and eyes as a glowing red light emanates from his urna and two disciples loom in the background. The works pay homage to the 18th century Eccentric painter, Soga Shohaku whose two aliases (Kishinsai, Dasokuken) are marked above the artist’s name in the bottom right corner in each of the series. In contrast to the gestural dynamism of the Daruma portraits, the two Ogata Korin landscapes are appropriations of 18th century painter’s commissioned fan paintings in serial versions of platinum and gold. Murakami overlays Korin’s glistening ornate waves with his signature flowers adapted into voluminous chrysanthemums. Reflecting Murakami’s own interest in artistic identity and branding, these works are also signed with Korin’s two aliases, the honorable Hōkyō and his product identity, Kansei printed inside a red seal.

The three abstract paintings signal perhaps Murakami’s most radical departure, signaling a revived interest in the design patterns of graffiti, Op art, and special effects, through carefully studied compositions and balance of forms. Davy Jones’ Tear is adapted from a heartfelt scene in the “Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest” where the villain reveals his inner torment while playing the organ. The perceived expressivity in these works is obfuscated by gourd-shaped inkblots, and vibrant streams dripping as if from freshly sprayed graffiti.

Remixing a line of artists ranging from Pollock, Lichtenstein, Kazuo Shiraga, Sigmar Polke to Terry Winters, this new group of works perform a powerful play between the spiritual and the synthetic.

​

source: Blum & Poe​

 

[ETROsexualJ]

I like the orginal cartoon guy wallets that he did in the orginal collection with like Onion Head.

 

[mishahoi]

when it comes to murakami's larger, more complicated paintings, I get a real Lisa Frank on acid vibe.

All he needs is a unicorn and its so there

 

[breathe0xygen]

^ truth! HAHA. I went to the exhibit in the Brooklyn museum. His scale of work is quite impressive and quite aesthetically pleasing. I'm still undecided whether I like him or not as an artist... sometimes I feel like he helps people exoticize Japan in a stereotypical way. maybe it's just me.

 

[tarsha]

POP F/W 10.11

Britney Spears by Todd Cole & Takashi Murakami







thepop
fashiongonerogue
britney-spain

 

[CholoChic]

anyone knows about his documental?