Poetry and Japan's Visual Arts

Lyrical Images: Poetry and Japan's Visual Arts

Joan B Mirviss Ltd
39 East 78th Street, 4th floor
New York City

November 14, 2008 – January 23, 2009

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We are pleased to present a selection of more than thirty-five Japanese prints and paintings from the nineteenth and twentieth-centuries that explore the rich artistic legacy that developed between Japan's literary and visual arts. Organized around cherished poetic themes and lyrical motifs, the exhibition will include superb examples of calligraphy, color woodblock prints, gold-leaf screens, and painted hanging scrolls.
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Tuesday — Friday 12 — 5 pm
Saturday 1 — 4 pm (through December 20)
and by appointment

Morimoto The New Art of Japanese Cooking

by Masaharu Morimoto

* Morimoto
The New Art of Japanese Cooking
* by Masaharu Morimoto
* Dorling Kindersley (DK Books) 2007
* 272 pages, hardcover, US $40.00
* ISBN-10: 0756631238
* ISBN-13: 9780756631239
* Information provided by the publisher.


The first cookbook by Masaharu Morimoto represents the very best of what's exciting in culinary books today: Global Cooking for the 21st Century.

While Masaharu Morimoto's cooking is rooted in Japanese cuisine, he often adds the unexpected ingredient from the Western world to create a whole new, balanced and dramatic taste. His unique cuisine is characterized by beautiful Japanese color combinations and aromas, with the preparation infusing multicultural influences such as traditional Chinese spices and simple Italian ingredients, all presented in a refined French style. Morimoto gears his flavors to the new-world palate, creating enduring combinations.

In addition to over 120 recipes, Morimoto: The New Art of Japanese Cooking is a fully-illustrated look at the chef's personal culinary journey and his unique philosophy of Japanese cuisine. Morimoto's trademark style—a seamless and inspired integration of Western and Japanese ingredients—will be reflected in the design, organization and philosophy of his eponymous book. Gorgeous four-color photography throughout—including helpful step-by-step instructions and specific features explaining Chef Morimoto's techniques and cooking and plating philosophy. The book also enlightens the reader on topics such as how to slice and cure fish, how to properly eat sushi, and the origins and significance of rice, dashi, soy sauce, tofu, blowfish, wasabi, sake and other unique Japanese ingredients.

The book's chapters cover all of the bases, beginning with Sushi and Sashimi and then moving on to Noodles, Breads, Soups and Rice. The reader will learn techniques from the art of making Sushi Rice to frying stuffed breads known as Curry Pan. Mouth-watering recipes include Pork Gyoza and Morimoto's Noodle Soup with Aromatic Sichuan Peppercorns in a Ramen Base. The chapter on Fish & Shellfish includes Grilled Scallops Stuffed with Sweet Onion and sumptuous Crispy Morimoto Tempura. The Meat chapter covers recipes ranging from Crispy Duck with Port Wine Reduction and Red Miso Sauce to Miso Braised Short Ribs Tempura and Lamb Carpaccio. Vegetables, Tofu and Egg chapters cover salads such as Bamboo Shoots with Fresh Mint and Frozen Lettuce (a whimsical play on the classic Caesar salad) and a traditional square Sushi Omelet. For the adventurous cook, the book includes unique Iron Chef TV creations of Squid Strawberry Ice Candy and Vanilla Ice Cream with Lobster Sauce. The Dessert chapter also dazzles with buttery Red Miso Souffle with Yuzu Ice Cream, Sugared Salmon with Beet Sorbet and Yuzu Foam and Asparagus Pocky covered in rich chocolate.

And of course, Morimoto's signature dishes are also included—Tuna Pizza with Anchovy Aioli, Daikon Fettucine with Tomato Basil Sauce, Bouillabaisse, zesty Angry Chicken and sizzling Grilled Steak with Garlic-Soy Jus.

Whether you're a fan of Iron Chef or just interested in learning how to meld Japanese traditions with fusion cuisine in your own kitchen, this monumental cookbook from one of the world's most inspiring chefs is a must for you!

About the Author
Chef Masaharu Morimoto—known to millions as star of Food Network's Iron Chef and Iron Chef America—is as comfortable cooking against the clock for a live television audience as he is preparing his signature omakase menu at his namesake restaurants. But no matter the circumstances, wherever Chef Morimoto cooks, his inspired and innovative dishes garner critical and popular acclaim. Through the seamless integration of Western and Japanese ingredients, Masaharu Morimoto has effectively created his own, unique cuisine—one defined by innovation and inspiration.

Chef Morimoto began his culinary training in Hiroshima at a restaurant specializing in sushi. At the age of 24, Morimoto opened his own restaurant in Hiroshima, and soon distinguished himself from his peers by infusing European and Western cooking techniques and ingredients into his preparations. Five years later, Morimoto sold his Hiroshima restaurant and settled in Manhattan, where he spent the next few years working at several Japanese restaurants including the Sony Club, eventually becoming the first executive chef at Nobu. He currently has restaurants in New York, Philadelphia, Tokyo, and Mumbai, as well as his own line of sake and beer.

Morimoto Recipes
o Blowfish Skin Caprese
o Curry Pan
o Angry Chicken

A New Wave for Japanese Art

International art collectors are warming up to a new breed of daring Japanese artists that are no longer beholden to Western styles
by : Hiroko Tashiro

It all seems like a distant memory now, but back in the late 1980s, Japan was the center of gravity in the international art market. Cash-flush corporations and real estate moguls snapped up trophy works by Vincent Van Gogh and Picasso for then-huge sums. Then, as the 1990s arrived, it all ended in tears with the end of Japan's fabled "bubble economy." Japanese art collectors were more likely to be frantic sellers than sophisticated buyers.

Now, the Japanese art market, though nowhere near the size it was back in the go-go '80s, is showing tentative signs of a comeback. The difference this time is that a new wave of Japanese modern artists are driving the way, rekindling collector interest at home and abroad. The Japanese have always been avid art lovers. An estimated 1 million of them visit the Louvre in Paris every year. And the economy's revival this decade has given many of them the financial wherewithal to buy artworks that catch their fancy.

At the same time, contemporary Japanese artists such as Takashi Murakami and Yoshitomo Nara, who are gaining an international following, have sold some works for in excess of $1 million in the U.S recently. Japanese art exhibits showcasing contemporary artworks are also drawing huge crowds.

Small Piece of the Pie
In January, an art fair called Art@Agnes at a Tokyo hotel was packed with 4,500 people, including young women and families who usually don't go to art galleries. A group of more than 30 contemporary art galleries in Tokyo and Osaka displayed their collections all together to the general public for the first time. "There were far more people than we expected. It was amazing," says Sueo Mitsuma, director of Mizuma Art Gallery, one of the organizers of the fair.

Japan's art market, though growing again, is still a small piece of the global art market. Last year, total sales generated by the country's top eight art auction houses were just under $150 million. In contrast, annual sales worldwide at the prestigious Christie's auction houses hit $4.67 billion. The $8.2 million or so the Tokyo Art Fair draws in sales is dwarfed by the $573 million that premier modern art exhibits such as Art Basel raked in last year.

Still, optimists point out that Japanese contemporary artworks have only recently gained notice abroad, or even domestically. "Japanese contemporary art has never received much attention in Japan," says Mitsuma of Mizuma Art Gallery. Another edge is price: Japanese works are reasonable, at least compared with the inflated prices now surfacing for similar fare in fashionable art markets like China and India.

Auction Houses Take Notice
Kyoko Hattori, 32, a vice-president with the acquisitions group at Aetos, started to collect contemporary art about 18 months ago and has bought works, mostly paintings, ranging from $400 to $4,000 or so. One somewhat outlandish work she picked up at the Art@Agnes show is a drawing of a train traversing a women's cleavage. "Contemporary art is interesting," says Hattori. "You can feel personal feelings of the artists through their work."

Japanese auction houses have also taken notice of the demand for affordable contemporary art. Shinwa Art Auction, which is listed on the Osaka Stock Exchange, controls 33% of the art auction business in Japan. The art house started a separate contemporary art auction last year. Shinwa officials were surprised to see works by modernists such as Yoshitomo Nara and Hisashi Tenmyouya sell for $115,000 and $136,000, respectively. Back in 2004, one painting by Tenmyouya only managed to fetch $12,000, suggesting a sizable increase in art market valuations.

The "Japanese art market had suffered from the after-effects of the collapsed bubble economy and deflation for years," notes Yoichiro Kurata, a former fund manager who now, as president, handles auctions for Shinwa Art. "But there is a huge possibility of growth in Japan, and we're finally entering a new phase triggered by contemporary art." Overseas art collectors are also now quite active in Japan's modern art scene. In the latest auction by Shinwa in April, some 40% of bidders were foreigners.

Younger Artists Gain Global Appeal
Investment funds that buy works, promote them, and hope they appreciate in value long-term are also fueling the contemporary art revival in Japan. Eijiro Imafuku, CEO of Fine Art Investment, which established the Contemporary Art Fund in 2005, thinks interest in buying modern art will grow as consumers start to become more sophisticated about how to price and procure pieces. His fund also publishes an art magazine on the inner workings of the traditionally opaque Japanese art market. "When people become aware of that, it will lead to an expansion of the art market in Japan," says Imafuku.

The revived interest in Japanese contemporary art is encouraging in another respect. Younger artists, less beholden to Western artistic styles and inspired by uniquely Japanese ones based on manga comic books and animation, are developing original works that have global appeal. "There is a generation of artists who are not copying European or American art but have new ideas based on Japanese traditions and culture," says art gallery owner Mitsuma. "They don't have an inferiority complex toward Europe or America like old Japanese."

Osaka Artist

by Tsunetomi Kitano
Tsunetomi Kitano had made himself a name as a great artist of bijin-ga, images of beautiful women. He was a dominating figure in the art scene of Osaka in the first half of the twentieth century.

Trendy and Expensive

by Shiko Munakata
Shiko Munakata is one of the most significant modern Japanese artists of the twentieth century. His art work consists of paintings, prints, ceramics and calligraphy. Looking at his art work, the way he produced it and his fame, one could be tempted to call him the Japanese Picasso of the twentieth century.

Honored Female Artist

by Shoen Uemura
In Japan female artist Shoen Uemura is a highly respected person and a kind of household name. People owe her respect for her courage to fight for the rights of women in Japan and for her achievements as a great artist.

Cat Prints

by Tomoo Inagaki
Tomoo Inagaki is an important Sosaku Hanga artist. After World War II he found an nice little market niche. He specialized in cat prints in modern design.

Subjects from the Noh Theater

by Tsukioka Kogyo
Tsukioka Kogyo has a firm place in the hall of fame of Japanese woodblock print artists. Even new collectors can recognize a typical Kogyo print easily. His style is distinctive and so are his subjects - Noh plays.

Kabuki Prints

by Tadamasa Ueno
Tadamasa Ueno specialized on Kabuki prints designed in a modern yet classical way. In today's ukiyo-e market his prints are undervalued for no understandable reason. Collectors who have the courage to go against fancy trends will get a lot of good print for little money.

Japanese American Artist

by Chiura Obata
After 1945 quite a few Japanese artists settled permanently in the United States like Masami Teraoka or Tadashi Asoma. Chiura Obata was the first to live and work in the US. It was not always easy for him. When Japanese Americans and Japanese nationals from the West coast were put into detention camps in 1942, he was among them.

Mesmerizing Flowers

by Kazutoshi Sugiura
The works of Japanese artists Kazutoshi Sugiura are unique in Japanese art history. His pictures are gems of noble beauty and treasure, as seen in the gold-grounded dreamlike floridity. Despite his concentration on a single motif, flower still lifes, he has earned himself an international reputation for his art.

Yoshiaki Kita

Yoshiaki Kita was born in Ishikawa prefecture in Japan in 1956. In 1979 he moved to France. Like many artists of post-war Japan, Yoshiaki Kita uses Western printmaking techniques. Silkscreen is among the favorite ones of the post-war generation of Japanese artists. And like many of the Japanese artists born in the middle of the 20th century, he combines in his art works Western and Japanese elements.

Shigera Tanaguchi

Shigera Tanaguchi was born three years after the end of the great Pacific war. He is from a generation of modern Japanese artists who combine old an new, oriental and western art elements. The art works by Shigera Tanaguchi have received worldwide recognition. They are to be found in such important museums like the Moma (Museum of Modern Art) in New York, the Cincinnati Museum of Modern Art or the Osaka Museum of International Art.

Hiroto Norikane

Mr. Hiroto Norikane was born in 1949 in Hiroshima prefecture. He graduated from Sokei Academy of Fine Arts, and had studied under Yoshida Hodaka and Kato Kiyomi. The artist works in a mixed media technique of etching and mezzotint. The motifs chosen for his art prints are taken from rural Japan and from the Japanese tradition.

Tattoo Art in Modern Japan

Although some younger people may consider tattooing as trendy, the majority of the Japanese population still considers it as something connected to the underworld of mafia gangsters or a bad low class habit at the best. Younger people who consider tattoos as iki - a minority among Japanese youth - tend to use partial tattoos in Western style on their upper arms, where it is not directly visible.

The Meiji Restoration until Postwar Japan

In its strive to adopt Western civilizations, the Imperial Meiji government banned tattooing as something considered a barbaric relict of the past. The funny thing was that the Japanese irezumi artists now got new clients - the sailors from the foreign ships anchoring in Japanese harbors. Thus Japanese tattoo art was spread to the West.

During the first half of the twentieth century, horimono remained a forbidden art form until 1948, when the prohibition was officially lifted. Some say that this step had become necessary to legalize the demand by soldiers of the American occupation forces for horimono and irezumi.

Tattoos in the Edo Period

During the Edo period - 1603-1868 - Japanese tattoo art became a part of ukiyo-e - the floating world culture. Prostitutes - yujos - of the pleasure quarters used tattoos to increase their attractiveness for customers. Body tattoos were used by laborers and firemen.

From 1720 on, the tattooing of criminals became an official punishment and replaced the amputation of the nose and the ears. The criminal received a ring tattoo around the arm for each offense or a character tattoo on his forehead. Tattooing criminals was continued until 1870, when it was abolished by the new Meiji government of the Japanese Emperor.

This visible punishment created a new class of outcasts that had no place in society and nowhere to go. Many of these outlaws were ronin - masterless samurai warriors. They had no alternatives than organizing in gangs. These men formed the roots of yakuza - the organized criminals in Japan in the twentieth century.

Japanese Tattoo Art

Japanese tattoo art has several names - irezumi or horimono in the Japanese language. Irezumi is the word for the traditional visible tattoo that covers large parts of the body like the back. Japanese tattoo art has a very long history.

Since the influence of Confucianism and Buddhism on the Japanese culture, tattoo art has a negative connotation for the majority of the Japanese people. In the eyes of an average Japanese a tattoo is considered a mark of a yakuza - a member of the Japanese mafia - or a macho symbol of members of the lower classes.

Early History of Japanese Tattoo Art

Archaeologists believe that the early settlers of Japan, the Ainu people, used facial tattoos. Chinese documents report about the Wa people - the Chinese name for their Japanese neighbors - and their habits of diving into water for fish and shells and decorating the whole body with tattoos. These reports are about 1700 years old.

For the higher developed Chinese culture, tattooing was a barbaric act. When Buddhism was brought from China to Japan and with it a strong influence of the Chinese culture, tattooing got negative connotations. Criminals were marked with tattoos to punish and identify them in society.

Museum Quality Masterpiece of 18th C Buddhist Sculpture

Museum Quality Early 18th Century Edo Period (circa 1700) Gilded Japanese Sculpture of Amida Nyorai Buddha. Seated cross-legged in the lotus posture, hands joined in the mudra of contemplation, eyes all but closed in meditation, we are gazing upon the sculptor's vision of Amida enthroned in paradise. The elaborately carved lotus upon which he sits is itself a symbol of the attributes of the Amida Buddha: gentleness, openness, and purity. This is a large, rare and exquisite example, fabulously carved in every aspect, from the Mandala, the Lotus, and the multiple stands, to the Buddha himself, all sumptuously lacquered in beautiful gold. The Buddha's hair is arranged in snail-like curls, and a sacred jewel adorns his forehead. The robes are enhanced with gorgeous black lacquered designs. It is, in our opinion and extensive experience, among the finest Buddhist art we have ever seen offered for sale. It is imbued with all of the gentle idealism one associates with Japanese Buddhist sculpture. We are proud to offer this masterwork. 32.5 inches (82.5cm) tall x 21 inches (53.5cm) wide. From a widely renowned and published collection that has been exhibited at the Metropolitan Museum and Japan Society. Detail....

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Fine 18th Cty. Silver Leaf Japanese Screen of a Phoenix

Early 18th Century Japanese Two Panel Screen Painting featuring a spectacular Phoenix. Exquisitely painted with silver leaf on paper. Original brocade borders. Screens this early are very rare, and screens of these proportions are rarely seen. 28 inches (71 cm)w x 24 inches 61 cm)h. Good Condition. From a prominent and widely exhibited collection. Details....

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Tim Mathers and Marilee Hall Collaboration Piece

Adorning the top of Tim Mathers' imaginative vessel is an extraordinary sculpture by the renowned Marilee Hall. A striking and unforgettable collaboration from 1984 between two great ceramic artists. An early piece like this is especially valuable, as Mathers is now the head of the Ceramic Department at Indiana University, and is no longer producing any work. This piece has had a single owner since it was created over 20 years ago. Height: 10 inches (25.5 cm), Circumference: 27 inches (68.5 cm). Details....

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The Art of Japanese Craft

1875 to the Present by Felice Fischer

From Japan’s first forays onto the international stage of world’s fairs in the late 19th century to the dynamic creativity of the 1920 and 1930s, from the heady post–World War II period to the present day, Japanese crafts have exhibited a rich diversity of media and techniques. One of the first illustrated surveys in English of modern-era Japanese crafts––including ceramics, lacquerware, metalcraft, and wood––this elegant book, with 70 color illustrations, is an invaluable guide for the collector and scholar.

Focusing on an important collection of Japanese crafts destined for the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the text discusses the artists and ideas that shaped and defined the aesthetic of 20th-century Japan, noting that this nation—which so deeply appreciates and fosters its crafts traditions—hails its artists as “living national treasures.” The book also includes artists’ biographies and reproductions of their signatures and marks.

Felice Fischer is The Luther W. Brady Curator of Japanese Art and Curator of East Asian Art at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She is the author of Ike Taiga and Tokuyama Gyokuran (Yale).

Japanese Dragon Tattoo Picture

Tattoo Design Details:
3 sessions . hell lot of pain soon to be finished...but i think it will turn out nice- tattoo Mini denmark

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The Japanese Art of Sex: How to Tease, Seduce, and Pleasure the Samurai in Your Bedroom

The Japanese Art of Sex: How to Tease, Seduce, and Pleasure the Samurai in Your Bedroom by Jina Bacarr, Yelena Zhavoronkova (Illustrator)

Synopsis

Attention to detail, small gestures with profound meaning, brilliantly intuitive . . . these are the hallmarks of Japanese art, and they apply equally to the Japanese art of sex. Here for the first time is a practical guide that shows you how to use the ancient and modern Japanese sexual practices of court ladies, courtesans, and geisha to spark romance and deliver an erotic "floating world" of pleasure to you and your partner.

Japanese sex is not about the orgasm. In Japan, honest and healthy sex is at one with a love of nature and purity. But it is often the woman who knows more and cares more about extending passion into the realm of spirituality, using all of the senses. In The Japanese Art of Sex you'll practice aromatherapy, bathing and erotic meditation for calming; explore the art of conversation to stimulate the mind and expose the heart, roleplay to fulfill your fantasies; and, finally, use your fingers and tongue to tease and caress before choosing a position to make love.

Chapters with titles like "The Nine Points of Beauty," "Iki: The Art of Cool," and "Bathhouse Games and Sexy Cuisine" lead you step by step through over a thousand years of Japanese explorations into sex and love. While explicit, the discussions are tasteful and resolutely nonexploitive.

For like-minded modern Western women, eager to explore new ways of lovemaking and pleasure-giving, this book will be a welcome respite from all the other manuals that emphasize technique over the art of sex.

Jina Bacarr has written business books and magazine -articles, and she has coauthored a novel about Japan. She was previously the Japan-based consultant on KCBS-TV and MSNBC, andcurrently has her own weekly radio show, "On the Wild Side: The Spicier Side of Books." She lives in Southern California.

Biography

Jina Bacarr has written business books, magazine articles, and co-authored a novel about Japan. She was the Japanese consultant on KCB-TV, MSNBC, and has her own weekly radio show "On the Wild Side," the spicier side of books. She has worked as a companion girl, appeared in Japanese commercials, and written animation scripts for a Japanese movie studio.

The Queen of the Night

The Queen of the Night by : Kazuya Akimoto

"The Queen of the Night" : New, contemporary Japonisme, Japanese pop art, anime, manga style, literature, fairy tale, fable theme, surrealism woman portrait painting, black and white, monotone, pseudo-relief, 3d, decorative, ornamental, odd, strange, human, female figure, dark, night, raw art, symbolism, acrylic painting #7315, 2008 | Kazuya Akimoto Art Museum

The Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art

Description
The museum was founded in the year 1959, at the joint initiative of Felix Tikotin, a known collector of Japanese art who contributed his private collection, and the late Abba Chushi. The museum houses about 6,000 exhibits which include paintings, reprints, sketches, textiles, ancient ornamented books, ceramics, miniature statuettes etc. The exhibition hall is constructed in the spirit of the Japanese architecture. The museum’s library houses about 2,500 books and scientific publications on the subject of Japan and its culture. The place hosts activities on the subject of Japanese culture such as lectures, films, courses on Japanese flower schemes, Zen meditation and the study of the Japanese language.

Modern Art (Japanese Magic Show)

J-Art: Japanese Pop Art

J-Art: Japanese Pop Art by : Daniel Kretschmer

What is Pop art? Pop art as a movement started in the 1950s in Britain and the U.S. which takes its art from popular mass culture as opposed to the elite art world. Today the term can still be used for art as an expression influenced from the mainstream culture of the masses.

While Andy Warhol was making his Soup Cans famous in the U.S., a new and exciting art in Japan was starting to form and take on a course of its own.

Tanaami and American Influences

One of the first and most important of the Japanese pop artists is Keiichi Tanaami. He was educated at the Musashino Art University, and would take a designer job after graduation. It wasn't long before he left the company he worked for due to his busy schedule with outside activities. These creative activities included experimentations with animation, lithograph, illustration, and editorial design.

By the late 60s, Tanaami traveled to the United States where he had an influential meeting with Andy Warhol in his legendary Factory in New York. He was very happy to have met Andy while he was doing his silkscreens, and much of his work was inspired by Andy's style. Later, after moving to San Fransisco, the Japanese artist's work became very colorful and psychedelic. He even designed a cover for Jefferson Airplane.

Much of Tanaami's work comes from dreams and memories. He remembers as a child squeezing goldfish that were about to die, until their guts came out. You can see this in some of his goldfish sculptures. Gruesome and interesting stuff.

Manga and Anime

Perhaps the best known contemporary Japanese artist today is Takashi Murakami. He is attributed with the modern art style known as "superflat," for a blending of traditional art with newer concepts deriving, in part, from manga and anime. These artworks are known for their flat planes of colorful images.

While Andy Warhol in the 1960s was turning consumer products into art, Murakami is now turning art into consumer products. He says he knows how much the Japanese people love art, but very few can afford the upper class art. So he creates affordable art anybody can afford. His art comes in the form of toys, paintings, sculptures, dolls, and mannequins, T-shirts, videos, and any other type of product readily available for consumers. He also designed a Louis Vuitton handbag.

His art is often colorful and imaginative, such as the painting entitled "727." Some of his art is daring, such as his "My Lonesome Cowboy." The "Cowboy" shows an obvious reference to American culture with the lasso made from the, uh, fluids.

Graffiti and Childlike Figures

Like Murakami, Japanese artist Yoshimoto Nara derives his style from manga and anime. His work is usually done in graffiti-type painting and the characters are often cute and childlike, but which also possess dark characteristics. These characters come from a meshing of childhood memories and an input of contemporary style. What you get is a unique consumer art product.

There's an excellent British miniseries called Japanorama, which chronicles the host's seeking of Japanese culture in general. One of the episodes is all about J-Art and has the above artists and much more. So check it out, and don't forget to watch it with a nice hot bowl of Ramen.

New exhibition in Tikotin Museum of Japanese Art in Haifa

Georges Weil was the first western artist to be invited to join the Japanese Netsuke Chokokukai (The Japanese Netsuke Carvers Association), and the first foreign artist to participate in a group exhibition by its members. In 1989 George Weil emigrated to Israel. For almost twenty years he did not make any netsuke, so that all the netsuke on display have been created over the last two years especially for this exhibition. Essentially, Weil’s netsuke fall into two categories. One is the traditional, very detailed Japanese type, but fashioned in his own unique style. His other motifs are semiabstractions, compositions with clean, elegant lines.

The Art Of Japanmanship's Character

Over at the Japanmanship weblog, pseudonymous developer JC Barnett has been discussing the differences between Japanese and Western character design , with particular reference to the recent release of the Western-developed, Japanese-styled MySims.

Skipping over some of the fun, but nitpicky nitpicking of MySims' stylings, here are a couple of notable points on Japanese graphical paradigms: "As a general rule, which isn’t at all foolproof, and I’m sure keen-eyed readers will be happy to point out the exceptions of which I’m sure there are many, there are three basic types of character: the realistic, the manga and the abstract. It’s interesting to note that the more abstract you go, the less detailing there is, until the characters are almost 2D, graphically designed Dick Bruna-esque icons."

JC also adds - and it's hard not to agree: "Characterizations too differ vastly in Japan. Whereas the West seems to want to play hard-bitten underdog single-army war machines with ludicrously hard names, like Trent Bullet or Cutter Hardarse, in Japan you see more effete teenagers with deep running hinterlands, a band of friends and ludicrously faux Western names." And both of them are tres amusant.

Japanese Art Extreme

Just Pictur art extreme art