Art project help - what says Japan to you?

C

Charter_Mage

Pokémon Master
I few people have been seeking imput here on school type projects recently. So, since i'm just starting a Japan based art project myself, i thought what better place than this to ask for some imput also!

Very simply. What 4 things represent Japan to you?

It can be good or bad things, images; whatever says Japan in your mind.

Thank you :)

EDIT: Let me explain just a little more about what i'm thinking of doing. I want to try and possibly capture the essence/spirit/feel of Japan in 4 paintings. I'm not sure how exactly this will work yet, but i would like to capture different elements of the culture in each piece.
 
Well their abilty ofhaving hirigana/katikana charecters and able to form them into art.

Its a bit hard to explain, but image it like this. I think it would look more artistic to have hirigana in birght pink running across the sleve of a t-shirt, then it being in english.

If thats no good, then the fact that they are a mordern country that thrives on a technogly bases.
another example, watch a TV program not so long ago, it discused how people prefer housing here is more bricks and motor, while one guy in japan had a house made completely of plastic, set out like a bento box.

I think anything in genral would be things like the causine they eat to their music.

other then their manga/anime art form, I can't think of anything more than that.
 
I would say their flag for one thing, nice and simple. Then as Otaku-san said their electronical ability. A third thing would be the totally different groups that operate within their society. As for a fourth, i would think of their history (i.e. Samurai and their lords)
 
Oh yeah there history... totally forgot about that

When you've got a citys like tokyo and osaka with all their mordern archtectiure, you just totally forget.
I'm just used to looking at a building and understanding its time period
like those slates you see on the front of concil houses, tht was a designed used during the 14th-15th centary.

but what do you exactually mean by groups thqat operate in their society?
 
It's hard to explain plus i can't remember the names for these groups but an example would be the girls who get makeovers with fake tans in order to look like girls from america. Jonathan Ross covered them on the last series of Japanarama
 
What represents japan for me, well thinking on it, one would probably be the old feudal style buildings you'll find around Japan, like the old Castles and so on, there is something about them that fascinate me, probably because the design is different i guess.
Also Cherry Blossom trees, they only bloom once a year but that is something that always comes to mind when thinking of Japan.
Japan's history is a good one to go with too since, ok it is like other countries in the sense they also went through wars, but even still, their lifestyle was extremely different to ours and i myself see Samurai's as warriors that are even now, respected.

I can't really think of what else but i hope that helps in some way.
 
BlackWolf said:
It's hard to explain plus i can't remember the names for these groups but an example would be the girls who get makeovers with fake tans in order to look like girls from america. Jonathan Ross covered them on the last series of Japanarama
Click to expand...

O and then bleach their hair, and wear disigner clothing I think they call then kangore girls or something like that
 
BlackWolf said:
It's hard to explain plus i can't remember the names for these groups but an example would be the girls who get makeovers with fake tans in order to look like girls from america. Jonathan Ross covered them on the last series of Japanarama
Click to expand...

O and then bleach their hair, and wear disigner clothing I think they call then kangore girls or something like that
 
Samurai;

Badass warriors who defended Japan for hundreds of years-- katana's also are instantly recognisable to Japan (unless you're an idiot). :p

Anime;

One of the most awesome kinds of animation, and everyone knows it's from Japan, even the "that weird Japanese **** lolol??" kind of people.

Architecture;

Not just any, but the very unique style found in Asia-- well that's more in old Japan, like the castles, shrines etc, but the modern tatami filled houses are very unique to Japan.

Pornographic Censors;

Someone had to say it.
 
BlackWolf said:
It's hard to explain plus i can't remember the names for these groups but an example would be the girls who get makeovers with fake tans in order to look like girls from america. Jonathan Ross covered them on the last series of Japanarama
Click to expand...

Ganguro girls? :p

Yarrrgh :x
 
Otaku-san said:
Well their abilty ofhaving hirigana/katikana charecters and able to form them into art.

Its a bit hard to explain, but image it like this. I think it would look more artistic to have hirigana in birght pink running across the sleve of a t-shirt, then it being in english.
Click to expand...

You do realise that is a standpoint shared by the Japanese, but vice-versa.
 
two things i can think of are...

A purple Japanese water lily and then i was told when i was younger of one thing about japan that has always stuck in my head "they are five years ahead of everyone else in technology" (im not sure if its true, but that damn small homosapien shaped robot they made was cool).

Hope that helps
 
-Ancient style drawing of a samurai.
-To contrast the above, (not that I've seen it) Afro Samurai to show how their culture sticks to its roots but that can be modern at the same time. (I thought I read somewhere how Afro Samurai was set in a fantasy/futuristic world, or something, so a big background full of futuristic stuff with Afro Samurai as the centre object - or something, the contrast being the same with the ancient samurai with olden things in the background)

Art is really such a massive part of the culture, you can relate everything to it, so I don't think having say sushi, Japanese symbols, and manga/anime style pictures is the right thing to do. Maybe if sushi and the symbols are added to the contrasting past and present that kind of covers the majority of the art side of it. Of course there are bound to be things left out. Again I just thought of fashion, but that's also art in a sense. This is quite hard!

Something different from art could be the way that Japanese culture is based on respect, I'm all out of brain power to think of how that could be done now; everything I thought doesn't seem right, ah well I hope this helped and good luck = ). Remember to post the finished pieces here!
 
Kurogane said:
Otaku-san said:
Well their abilty ofhaving hirigana/katikana charecters and able to form them into art.

Its a bit hard to explain, but image it like this. I think it would look more artistic to have hirigana in birght pink running across the sleve of a t-shirt, then it being in english.
Click to expand...

You do realise that is a standpoint shared by the Japanese, but vice-versa.
Click to expand...

Well I gess so, but look at the cover of puni puni poemy writen in japanese, and then look at the english writing and you see what I mean
 
Otaku-san said:
Kurogane said:
Otaku-san said:
Well their abilty ofhaving hirigana/katikana charecters and able to form them into art.

Its a bit hard to explain, but image it like this. I think it would look more artistic to have hirigana in birght pink running across the sleve of a t-shirt, then it being in english.
Click to expand...

You do realise that is a standpoint shared by the Japanese, but vice-versa.
Click to expand...

Well I gess so, but look at the cover of puni puni poemy writen in japanese, and then look at the english writing and you see what I mean
Click to expand...

It only looks that way because you're not Japanese.

To the Japanese, it is simply text.
 
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