Fine Arts: James Turrell in Naoshima

...feel the delight of light...

You really have to experience James Turrell's work in order to understand it.  I never really thought much about the artist before encountering his work in Naoshima, Japan.  I only vaguely remembered his name from one of my art history classes.  He's apparently most famous for his ambitious project, Roden Crater, an open-eye observatory near Flagstaff, Arizona. 

I instead got acquainted with two different artworks: Backside of the Moon and Open Field.


Minamidera

Picture of the plaque outside Minamidera

The Benesse Art Site is quite awesome in itself, but one of the best works was no doubt Backside of the Moon.  There is a bit of procedure when entering the room, but we weren't told much about what the work will actually consist of.  We were first directed into a very dark room and sat on a bench while "looking" at what lies in front of us.  I think we had to sit for maybe 8 minutes before our eyes adjusted to the very faint light source.

Once our eyes adjusted, we were allowed to walk around, and towards the source.  It was a strange rectangular "hole" in the wall.  I put my head out, like looking out a window, and it felt like falling into nothingness... but this nothingness was a hazy, misty, dim light (which complements the black-nothingness we were first introduced to when walking in the dark.)

It was cool. A bit creepy. And rather meditative.

Outside of Minamidera

Chichu Art Museum

Next up was the Chichu Art Museum.  A little bit on the pricey side, but really worth it.  As much as I loved Turrell's Open Field, I have to admit that the best part of the museum was the building itself (designed by architect Tadao Ando).  It was SO COOL!   Such a weird conception of space, and I loved the open-air concept. 

But back on the subject of Open Field... Once again, I thought it was a bit of a "creepy" experience, but this time, it felt like I was in some strange lab experiment.  We first walked into a clean white room and were directed to the black steps.  We all walked up and went into the blue-ish room.  It was a bit like walking into an abstract painting!

The room was more like white-blue.  The guide, who was dressed in white, even disappeared in the background, lol.  It was cool.  Less meditative than Backside of the Moon, but still thought-provoking nonetheless.

Conclusion

If I were to describe these two works, I'd summarize them as interactive, real-life Rothko paintings.  I personally love Rothko so this is a good thing for me... but I just got that vibe when experiencing Turrell's works.

Minamidera and the Chichu Art Museum are located on the island of Naoshima, Kagawa-ken, Japan.  I visited these sites on October 16th, 2011.

Fine Arts: John Currin at DHC/ART

...the sensual curves fall a bit flat...

I first heard of John Currin in one of my many painting classes.  I always associated him with distorted proportions, particularly the image of elongated necks comes to mind. 

He also happened to be featured in this Art Now anthology I've had since 2005, and I somehow remembered his profile pic because, well, he's quite good-looking.  LOL

That was my previous exposure to John Currin, and I had yet to see any of his work in real life. Until now. (actually, a few weeks ago to be more precise)

My friend and I ventured to the Old Port to DHC/ART.  The gallery also exhibited the strange sculptures of de Bruyckere, but I'll just concentrate on Currin since painting is my forte.

To be frank and blunt: I was dissapointed.  I'm a lover of paint and materials, and I was honestly not blown away.  The images look great in books and even online: his colours, the contrast, composition, are no doubt effective.  However, when viewing work in real life, I expect something more.   Somehow, I didn't feel that extra layer of lush intensity in his paint.  Despite his excellent rendering, the paint fell flat.  But moreover, I suppose I'm not a big fan of his subject matter. It was bizarre, but not in the enticing way.  Some of it was VERY pornographic, and that's fine... but it didn't push my intellect buttons too hard. Nor did it stimulate me, so I wasn't all that impressed. I guess to each, their own!

There were however some jewels that I really enjoyed.  His older works on the first floor were however more solid (in my opinion, of course!) We weren't allowed to take photographs, but here's an idea of his older aesthetic.

Skinny Woman, 1992

Another work that I've seen prior and did enjoy in real life is:

Rachel in Fur, 2002

It was small but compelling. As a portrait, it really drew me in. When a painting is able to have that sort of effect on a person, I think it's very successful.  I couldn't help but stare and wonder about the person in the portrait; I was acknowledging her as an individual and not just a face in a painting.

My friend and I also took some time analysing this painting:

Thanksgiving Wenches, 2003

I remember that the highligts on the woman's shirt were very well done (the paint sat on the top layer). But aside from that, my art history buddy enjoyed the many elements he put into this artwork. 


Conclusion

Maybe I just had higher expectations, but I wasn't blown away. The gallery itself was cool! It stood on 4 floors, the space was more intimate and the lighting was a bit off in certain areas, but all in all, I liked the posh space more than the work on the walls...

John Currin at DHC/ART runs from June  30th 2011- November 13th 2011. Check it out soon to see for yourself! 
  

Manga Review 01: Soul Eater

...a series with soul...

Warning: my reviewing style contains analysis that is based on my interpretation. Take it for a grain of salt; but if it intrigues you enough to read the manga, then I have done my job. ^_^

It's funny how Soul Eater will be the first review of this blog. I hardly tread in the shonen genre... but alas, I've most recently delved into this series and felt compelled to write a review about it.


Manga VS Anime

First off, I will be mostly speaking about the manga because it's the original form of this story. Although I haven't watched the anime to its entirety, I watched enough to see how much it diverges from the original.  Not only is the plot/ending different, but some of the characters are even tweaked. Overall, the anime is entertaining (music is great!) but it lacks the depth of the manga.


The Plot

Maka is a weapon meister, determined to turn her partner, a living scythe named Soul Eater, into a powerful death scythe — the ultimate weapon of Death himself! Charged with the task of collecting and devouring the tainted souls of ninety-nine humans and one witch, Maka and her fellow meisters strive to master their weapons as they face off against the bizarre and dangerous minions of the underworld. But the meisters’ own personal quirks may prove a bigger obstacle than any sultry enchantress!
-- From Yen Press

That's the description that I've seen circulating around the net, and although it may reveal the starting point of the story, it really doesn't reflect it as a whole.  Since this is a shonen piece, it obviously aims to "fight against evil" and "save the world", but I think it runs a little deeper than just that.  Notably, one of the driving points of the plot is the battle against insanity and inner demons.  Indeed the characters must fight corporeal villains, but there's an equal emphasis on coming to terms with themselves.

Ookubo's depiction of insanity is really to my liking.  It feels refreshing to see sketchy lines in a manga!

You can really see the contrast in drawing styles on this page.

Characters with ISSUES

Now, who doesn't love characters with problems? I sure in hell appreciate them in distress! lol.  Okay, maybe distress is pushing it a little, but a little angst never did any harm. ^_^  I think my favourite part of Soul Eater is the characters and their interactions.  They've got distinct personalities and it's nice to see how they progress throughout the series. 

There's a running theme with the leading (teenage) characters of the story: family issues.  You've got the broken home (Maka with her divorced parents), the orphans (Patty & Liz with their prostitute mother; Black*Star with his assassin clan), the sibling rivalry (Tsubaki and her evil bro), the pressure of lineage (Soul's affluent musician family; Kidd being a shinigami), and finally the plain-out abused (Chrona, no need to say more).  I find that this theme really brings depth to the characters and it affects their personality and how they may deal with a situation.  I can go in deeper analysis of certain characters (particularly Maka and Soul), but I shall refrain. ^_^ Bottom line is that Soul Eater contains decent characters and the author provides a good amount of information to let character analysis bloom.



Visual Delivery

I guess the last element that I'd like to outline is a fundamental one in manga: the drawings.  I have a soft spot for Ookubo's drawings... he's sometimes inconsistent with his style but I really like the surprise.  It may bother some readers, but I find it adds flavour.  By switching up the visuals, he pushes the reader into a different dimension. Here's my personal favourite:

Conclusion

For a shonen manga that needs to appeal to a general audience and must be marketable, it's quite a success.  Moreover, for it to keep integrity and depth, I really commend the mangaka.  It's not ground-breaking or totally over-the-top, but Soul Eater is a fun read and an overall balanced story.