The Arts in New York City

When the latest games or hottest gadgets are unveiled, one term comes to mind; Japan. Over the past few years, Japan has been the source of eye-popping envy throughout the world. Every time there is a new hype, it is always connected to Japan in one form or shape. I wondered, is everything from Japan that attractive? This leads me to the Japanese section of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. I had high expectations of Japanese productions; even if it is old, I believe there are bound to be inspiring.
Upon entering the doors to the Japanese section, I noticed something was different. It was dimmer, but still readily possible to see. I noticed that the artworks did not capture my attention at first glance. Unlike artworks with bright and shiny colors, Japanese artworks do not forcefully draw your attention. Occasionally in art, the uses of colors are so overwhelming that it is painful to the eyes. However, this was a good change for me because I believe in appreciating an artwork for its content, rather than for its colors.
There were many panel drawings, mostly done in black, gray, and green ink, which appealed to me. I came across the Four Accomplishment by Kano Motonobu, which by far was my favorite. It composed of two panels adjacent to each other. It was simply drawn, but the meaning behind it was eloquent. It uses simple images such as birds and snow to symbolize the four seasons of nature. Nature was a crucial theme to Japanese art, just like God to the Renaissance. The remarkable component of this piece was, in order to see the small details; I had to give up the bigger picture altogether. Vice versa was also true; if I wanted to see the bigger picture, I had to sacrifice the small symbolic details. The Four Accomplishments was just one of those artworks that cannot encompass both the big picture and the small details at the same time. This was an interesting way to observe an artwork.
Another creative Japanese design would be a living room remake. Initially, I did not give this much attention. However, this created a greater sense of surprise when I begin to think of how different this is to western rooms with swinging doors and chairs. This room had multiple sliding doors that supposedly connect to another room. There were no chairs, which I learned that the Japanese would kneel or sit on the floor. Even though this was a normal living room in Japan, it was in itself an artwork because everything seemed fashionable. I am still shocked at how different Japanese people live their lives. Although I felt alien to the environment, I had an urge to be there, experiencing this new style. However, when I approached too close to the set, the alarm would go off, forcing me to retreat.
After observing many Japanese art pieces, I was impressed with Japan. Most of their creations are unique, giving them an attractive appeal. Even after westernizing, Japan is able to retain its uniqueness with its culture. With their creativity, no wonder people around the world envy the Japanese so much. I would definitely recommend Chinese people (to explore a new form of perspective), people that read manga or watch anime, and anybody that enjoys cool gadgets to visit the Japanese section. This was very interesting and informative as to how the Japanese have gotten to where they are today.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 31st, 2007 at 12:47 pm and is filed under Kenny Li, WRITING ASSIGNMENTS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.