Task 1 - Unit 1

Malena Viana Mock e-A󰇚e󰇚ment

 A󰇠ist Research: Chiho Aoshima Sources Cited:
"Strawberry Fields" (2003) "Japanese Apricot 2"
(2004) 1. “Chiho Aoshima.” Wikipedia,
Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Aug.
2021,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiho_A
oshima.

2. Huysal, Yusuf. “Interview:

Chiho Aoshima.” Time Out
Tokyo, Time Out, 7 Aug. 2016,
www.timeout.com/tokyo/art/int
erview-chiho-aoshima
3. “Chiho Aoshima.” Artspace,
www.artspace.com/artist/chih
o_aoshima.
4. “Chiho AOSHIMA - Artist.”
Perrotin,
www.perrotin.com/artists/Chih
o_Aoshima/14#biography.
Supporting Artworks
.

Background Information: Style Produced:

Chiho Aoshima, born in 1974, was a shy little girl who enjoyed going to a
cemetery near her house and doodling children. Later on, she had actually
went to Hosei University to study economics, where she was very unhappy,
and felt "...eager to create something but didn't know what to create..[1]" That is
why she began learning how to use Illustrator on her own, and she became
very passionate about the medium. The launch of her career was when she
took part in Takashi Murakami's show Tokyo Girls Bravo, and after that she
started working in his factory. What makes her even more distinct, is that
unlike many other artists, she began her career without any sort of
professional training, yet still manages to produce art that includes many
elements and detail. Further in her career, there are many allusions to
mankind's relationship with nature, life and death and civilizations. In her more
recent career, she gets involved with animation and even fashion, and she is
producing art until this day.
In Aoshimas artworks, she creates dream-like, post apocalyptic
and surreal landscapes. She alludes to elements of traditional
Japanese art, recreating it's style but in application to
atmospheres that are more futuristic, and can even look like
hallucinations. Her most commonly used mediums in her early
career were computer technology (Adobe Illustrator) and
traditional web design practices, yet more recently she has been
using watercolor, ceramics and drawing. This can represent a
transition from artificial mediums to traditional ones which may
have come from skill development or different influences.
 A󰇠ist Research: Chiho Aoshima Sources Cited:
"Strawberry Fields" (2003) "Japanese Apricot 2"
(2004) 1. “Chiho Aoshima.” Wikipedia,
Wikimedia Foundation, 7 Aug.
2021,
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiho_A
oshima.

2. Huysal, Yusuf. “Interview:

Chiho Aoshima.” Time Out
Tokyo, Time Out, 7 Aug. 2016,
www.timeout.com/tokyo/art/int
erview-chiho-aoshima
3. “Chiho Aoshima.” Artspace,
www.artspace.com/artist/chih
o_aoshima.
4. “Chiho AOSHIMA - Artist.”
Perrotin,
www.perrotin.com/artists/Chih
o_Aoshima/14#biography.
Supporting Artworks
.

Global Context & Key/Related Concepts: Influential Cultural Movements:

In one of her interviews with timeout magazine, Aoshima mentions that the Superflat: Shojo:
city she lives in (Tokyo), greatly influences her work because the only places In the viewpoint of the Shojo
Ukiyo-e:
The superflat movement,
where she is able to find nature and animals there are on cemeteries. She
aesthetic, there are many There are many traces of
emphasizes that she likes to "... think of them as oases in the middle of the in which Aoshima actively
features that are included in traditional japanese art in
concrete jungle.[2]" That is why nature and death are outgoing themes in her participates and is a great
work. This connects to environmental challenges because it shows how cities Aoshimas works such as big Aoshimas works, she even
influence to her style, was
are evolving and expanding while consuming the space of natural eyes, feminine figures and mentions influences from
pioneered by Takashi
environment as the global population grows. Just like Tokyo, that was rebuilt young women. They evoke ukiyo-e print artist/painter
after the war and has very little nature. Her work connects to the key concept Murakami in the early 20th
different moods such as fear, Hokusai. She also takes a
"change" and the related concept "harmony, the chain of life, change and century. It was inspired by laughter and playfulness.
ecosystems - creative thinking that involves the concept of change can allow lot of inspiration from
traditional japanese Aoshimas works makes a
an audience to reflect on important environmental issues..." because by traditional ukiyo-e
"flat"style art and the statement about the
showing futuristic dystopian sceneries that contain themes related to the paintings that depict
death of nature and rise of humans, she shows the change and the damage popularization of Japanese objectification of shojo japanese folklore mythical
that can happen impacting the viewer because the disturbing view of that Anime and Manga after through her cute and feminine
makes us want to prevent it. beings.
World War 2. shojo aesthetic.

"Divine Gas" (2008)
Background Information: (Original Context)
Medium: Offset lithograph
Size: 95 x 59 cm
Movement: Japanese Contemporary
Former Location: ICA Boston
Divine Gas was made digitally in
Adobe Illustrator in 2008. It's imagery
portrays figures drawn in the traces of
traditional Japanese art, such as the
clouds and the girls anime style eyes.
There seems to be a possibility that
the girl is a japanese graveyard spirit
or a yokai, once again relating to the
more traditional part of Japanese
folklore.
2 A󰇡works
“Chiho Aoshima: A Contented Skull (2008).” Artsy, www.artsy.net/artwork/chiho-aoshima-a-contented-skull.
“Chiho Aoshima: Divine Gas, 2005.” Perrotin New York,
storeny.perrotin.com/products/chiho-aoshima-sky-2005.
Connection to Unit: (Displaced Context) Background Information: (Original Context)
In "Divine Gas", Aoshima references the destruction of nature by
presenting the main motif as a humanoid girl that emits gas and Medium:Offset lithograph in colors on
crawls above the trees and grass, with the reflection of a city in her wove paper
eyes. This represents the balance of nature because in the piece and Size: 60 × 129.9 cm
in actuality it is being damaged severely and irreversibly by the greedy
In "A contented skull" Aoshima
human gaze, that emits pollution into the environment and takes over
nature with cities, just like the girl intends to do by appearance in the
contrasts the themes of
artwork. There is a contrast between the artworks dreamy and flowery ephemerality and death against life
aesthetic and it's dystopian concept, close attention is needed to and reincarnation. She also
understand it. The possibility that the girl is a graveyard spirit also represents the life that can be
connects the concepts of humans, death and nature, meaning
enrooted and grow around death,
humans are constantly killing off nature resulting in the damage of it's
balance.
and the cycle of life. As seen in
other works, she references
Connection to Unit: (Displaced Context)
"A contented skull" can connect to the balance of japanese culture by including a
nature because it may represent the cycle that it
sakura tree, which may represent
renewal and optimism.
takes place to ensure the balance. It has a
melancholic feel to it, due to the cold colors and
the symbolism of death, but it also sparks hope
"A contented skull"
that nature will reflourish with the fall of mankind. (2008)
It also may bring up a connection between the life
of humans and nature, suggesting that a human
can die and reincarnate as a natural element to
support the restoration of the balance.
 Chiho Aoshima:
A󰇡work Analysis
"City Glow" (2005)

In this work, we are able to see contrasting between warm and

cold colors and dark and bright colors. The dark blue gradient on
the background incentivizes the "lighted" patches of the buildings
shown ahead. The repetition of distorted, square lights and
buildings also gives the buildings a sort of natural characteristic,
since human constructions are usually fully straight and square,
and this helps combine the elements of the coexistence between
city (modern human settlements) and nature. The faces present
in each buildings personifies the city, connecting the painting to
the balance of nature because it shows the general direct
relationship between a big human society in a city that
dominates the small remainders of nature in the corner. We can
also see that Aoshima used space to convey her message
because of the centralization of the buildings in comparison to Medium: Print lithography
the plants that are almost hidden behind the lights in the corner. Size: 68 x 68 cm
Movement: Japanese Contemporary

“She's Part of Kaikai Kiki.” Seattle Art Museum (SAM), www.seattleartmuseum.org/chiho.

 A󰇠ist Research: Claude Monet Sources Cited:
"Garden Path at Giverny" (1902) "The Magpie" (1868-1869)

1. “Claude Monet.”
Biography.com, A&E Networks
Television, 10 Aug. 2020,
www.biography.com/artist/cla
ude-monet.
2. “Claude Monet Style and
Technique.” Artble, 19 July
2017,
www.artble.com/artists/claude
_monet/more_information/styl
e_and_technique.

Supporting Artworks

Background Information: Style Produced:

Claude Monet is a famous french artist who was born in 1840. Monet had grown up in Normandy in a coastal
town with his older brother Leon. He was not known for being a good student, and loved to go outside to
observe landscapes. His school books were filled with drawings. His father wanted him to be a businessman,
but his mother always supported his art career so he suffered a lot from her loss in 1857. In his local
community, he started drawing townsfolk, and moved on to landscapes after being influenced by Eugene
Boudin. Later on, he moved to Paris to become a professional artist and enrolled in Academie Suisse to study
fine arts. In 1874, a critic used the word 'Impression' to insult Monet's work since it emphasized light and form
more than realism. He later served in the military and got discharged due to his diminishing health. Although
Monet received some recognition during his lifetime, he still struggled financially. His father did not want to
support him, so he became depressive and attempted suicide in 1868. He later got married to a woman named
Camille and patronized, so he regained financial stability. Later in his life, he got widowed and remarried, and
suffered a lot with self doubt, destroying many of his paintings. He took some time to develop his technique but
sadly died in his home in Giverny in 1926. Monet's passion for art took him many places during his lifetime
Monet is known for being one of the pioneers to the impressionist
movement. He and other impressionist seeked to depict sceneries in a
way that the color and the light were the main elements in the artwork.
Monet's brush stroke is one of the many elements that stands out between
other impressionists. The technique that can be seen throughout his
career is using quick brush strokes to interpret light in a way that is
different to what can be seen through the human eye. His color palette
notably changed throughout his career. In the beginning, it is observable
that he uses bright colors that are highlighted by darker ones. Inspired by
japanese culture, he used uncontrolled colors in his landscapes. In his late
career, his impressionism reached its peak. It was then that he produced
his Waterlilies and Giverny series. Due to his cataracts, before surgery he
started using reddish hues and after that bluish hues.
 A󰇠ist Research: Claude Monet Sources Cited:

"Garden Path at Giverny" (1902) "The Magpie" (1868-1869)

1. Tate. “Impressionism – Art

Term.” Tate,
www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/i
/impressionism.
2. “Japanese Art: a Major
Influence on the Work of
Monet.” Pen Magazine
International, 6 Aug. 2020,
pen-online.com/arts/japanese-
art-a-major-influence-on-the-w
ork-of-monet/.

Supporting Artworks

Global Context & Key/Related Concepts: Influential Cultural Movements:

Monet's work is very impactful due to the way he emphasizes light, color and
form that helps engage the four senses rather than just present a scenery. By Impressionism:
portraying these sceneries in different seasons and momentanian lightings, he Monet was inspired by other
impressionist artists being one
shows the change (Key Concept) these environments constantly go through. himself. Impressionism includes
painting spontaneously while on
With the changes in the seasons he also portrays the challenges environments the scenery, rather than in a
go through; some trees aren't able to survive in the cold, for example. By different environment. What makes
it unique is that impressionist
engaging the four senses to portray the beauty of nature and it's change artists such as Monet are able to
through different moments and seasons, Monet is able to allow the audience to capture momentary sunlight.
Ukiyo-e:
Just as Aoshima, Monet was also
influenced by traditional Japanese artists
such as Hokusai. In the 1880's Japanism
became very popular, and Monet was
greatly inspired by the peaceful and calm
atmosphere of Japanese prints. Monet's
Waterlilies were directly inspired by
Japanese prints and paintings.

reflect on the importance of the preservation of such beauty.


"Jardin de Monet" (1900)
Background Information: (Original Context)
Medium: Oil Paint
Size: 92 x 81cm
Movement: Impressionist
Location: Musee D'Orsay
Monet painted his Irises in his "Jardin de
Monet” series when he was living in
Giverny. This painting was made during
the last thirty years of Monet's life. Across
the picture, we see many warm tones and
purple and pink shades. Behind all the
trees, we can see a small view of Monet's
Giverny house. The flowers which are
covered present a different tone than the
ones in the sunlight.
2 A󰇡works
- Irises in Monet's Garden by Monet Also Known as Le Jardin De Monet, Les Iris,
www.aaronartprints.org/monet-irisesinmonetsgarden.php.
- “The Artist's Garden at Giverny.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 8 June 2021,
-
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Artist's_Garden_at_Giverny.'
Metmuseum.org, www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437127.
Connection to Unit: (Displaced Context) Background Information: (Original Context)
This painting connects to the Balance of Nature
because there is a harmony and contrast between the
Medium: Oil on Canvas
green leaves and the purple flowers which creates an
Size: 92.7 x 73.7 cm
overall balance in the natural landscape being
Movement: Impressionist
portrayed. It also shows how the light reflects on
Monet was very passionate about
different elements of nature at a specific moment, each horticulture, so he bought a land near
part of the painting having a unique lighting but being his house in Giverny and build the
balanced due to the color distribution. We can see perfect painting motif: A water lily
purple-ish tones in the bottom half and greenish tones garden with a wooden bridge. This
garden was target of many of his
in the top, which also creates this contrasting balance.
paintings during the summer, including
Connection to Unit: (Displaced Context) the one below.
In this painting, the element of symmetry strengthens
the connection with the balance of nature due to the
balance of the composition. Apart from the bridge being
the main motif, every corner of the painting attracts the
audience's eye due to the balance that is present in the
natural environment that was enhanced by the artist.
The bright green color also connects to the balance of
nature because it represents the color of the summer,
which change throughout the year with the cycle of the
seasons.
 Waterlilies:
Analysis
"Waterlilies" (1916)
In this work, we are able to see the use of curved brush
strokes to create texture. We are also able to see harmony
within the colour palette due to the overall cold tone. There is
contrast between the purple-ish pink water lilies and the
blue-ish green water lily leaves but since both are cold toned
the lilies stand out in a delicate way. There is also contrast
between the brush strokes (lines) in the top and bottom
halves of the painting; the top brush strokes are vertical and
the bottom ones are horizontal. The elements help portray
the balance of nature because the vertical and horizontal
brush strokes representing the lilies and the leaves coming
from above portray the magnificent forms nature is able to Medium: Oil on Canvas
Size: 150 x 197cm
create; plants that are able to live and adapt in lakes, leaves Movement: Impressionism
that hang in branches like hair and many other spectacular
things. It shows how nature is able to adapt it's forms to
different environments. - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Claude_Monet_Water_Lilies.jpg
 Ci󰇢y Glow:
Deeper Meaning
"City Glow" (2005)
This two dimensional work is part of the superflat
movement and is completely dream-like and unrealistic.
In the upper half of the artwork, it is interesting how we
can see not as much nature, and a more night-like color
palette while the bottom half is the opposite. Since the
part where the city remains is above where the "forest" is
placed (Overlapping it) we can see the possibility that
these buildings might have taken over where the warm
and vibrant forest used to be; the remainings we see in
this dream-like atmosphere might be but a memory. The
use of the word glow in the title also might suggest that
just like a glow, the city brings attention and is steady in
the environment where the bird and the forest should be. Medium: Print lithography
Size: 68 x 68 cm
Lastly, it makes the viewer reflect about a dystopian Movement: Japanese Contemporary
future where there is a lack of nature.

“She's Part of Kaikai Kiki.” Seattle Art Museum (SAM), www.seattleartmuseum.org/chiho.

 Waterlilies:
Deeper Meaning
"Waterlilies" (1916)
In this Oil on Canvas Piece we are able to see a
relationship and emphasis on the color rather than on
the light, which is rather uncommon coming from monet.
The various textures and complementary colours (green,
purple) and the analogous colours (green, blue) create a
mesmerizing color combination translating the mood into
a serene one. By portraying a serene environment with a
limited color palette, Monet is able to capture the
essence of his emotion while in that scenery, allowing
the viewer to recognize the beauty of nature and reflect
Medium: Oil on Canvas
on it's preservation. Because this painting contains Size: 150 x 197cm
bluish undertones, this might have been created during Movement: Impressionism

one of Monet's depressive phases (since blue portrays

melancholy, sadness). - https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Claude_Monet_Water_Lilies.jpg