false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1170367443m/50150.jpg 50150 1 At first sight, the childlike figures for which Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara is now famous seem altogether cute and appealing. On closer examination his creations are robust, angry, and vulnerable creatures, standing up defiantly to the world of adults--self-confident, stubborn, and sometimes violent. Nara's work is influenced by Japanese comic books but he is unique in the contemporary art scene for tapping into horror through the medium of the innocent child--this is particularly poignant in Japan's controlled society of rigid language and social structures, especially considering recent shockingly violent crimes in Japan involving children as the aggressors. Nara's work instills the viewer with a juxtaposition of the innocence of children and the evil nature of humanity, or the fall from grace. Like Kurt Cobain's music, Nara's Pop art, too, aims to lend expression to his generation's concerns, encouraging it to meet the constraints of high achievement. Self-determination, individuality, and freedom are themes that infuse Nara's voice that is clearly heard in Japan and America, where the dividing line between "low" and "high" culture is less stringently drawn than in Europe. In addition to Nara's signature paintings, sculptures, and drawings; (poems and diary entries by the artist); this 204-page book includes texts by the art critic Stephan Trescher and the Japanese cult author Banana Yoshimoto. 49014 1 8 2001 Nara Yoshitomo total:15|5:3|4:7|3:5| 15 58 43 0 0 0 false false Sat Nov 14 11:14:30 -0800 2009 Sat Nov 14 11:14:30 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Thu Oct 29 12:01:06 -0700 2009 Thu Oct 29 12:01:06 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Oct 20 21:44:52 -0700 2009 Tue Oct 20 21:44:52 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun Oct 04 18:51:48 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 04 18:51:48 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Sep 14 20:08:17 -0700 2009 Mon Sep 14 20:08:17 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sat Jun 27 04:05:43 -0700 2009 Sat Jun 27 04:05:43 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jun 22 04:24:14 -0700 2009 Mon Jun 22 04:24:14 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Tue Jun 16 08:59:09 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 16 08:59:09 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue Jun 09 21:56:33 -0700 2009 Tue Jun 09 21:56:33 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Mar 16 20:32:14 -0700 2009 Mon Mar 16 20:32:14 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Mar 06 13:23:20 -0800 2009 Fri Mar 06 13:23:20 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Mon Feb 09 13:18:53 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 09 13:18:53 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sun Jan 25 16:29:34 -0800 2009 Sun Jan 25 16:29:34 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sat Jan 10 16:13:25 -0800 2009 Sat Jan 10 16:13:25 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Tue Dec 02 22:15:46 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 02 22:15:48 -0800 2008 0 0 false false Tue Oct 28 06:41:16 -0700 2008 Tue Oct 28 06:41:16 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Sat Oct 11 21:08:54 -0700 2008 Sat Oct 11 21:08:54 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Fri Sep 12 04:28:27 -0700 2008 Fri Sep 12 04:28:27 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Mon Sep 08 03:41:38 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 08 03:41:38 -0700 2008 0 0 false false Tue Aug 26 04:09:30 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 26 04:09:30 -0700 2008 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=50150