CK ART F200x

In this week's blog, I would like to introduce three Yōga style paintings. Yōga is an art movement that reflected modernization/westernization that was occurring in the last half of the 19th century in Japan. The Seiyōga or Yōga is often translated as "Western-style" painting. However, Yōga art is much more than a duplicate of Western art. "It was only in the aftermath of the Second World War that  yōga  came to be regarded as a unique genre within modern Japanese art." (Yokoyama, 2023)      In 1853, U.S. Commodore Mathew Calbraith Perry brought his fleet to Japan under orders from President Millard Fillmore, demanding entrance to their ports. Japanese authorities were so impressed by the advanced technology of the Western world that they implemented a policy of opening the borders of Japan and adopting and researching some Western traits to accelerate Japan's advancement. The historical background to Yōga art development can be traced back to 1855 Bansho Sh

In our post-modern society, very few things play an as influential role as consumerism does. The products we purchase are infused with greater significance than their primary function. "Our enormously productive economy demands that we make consumption our way of life, that we convert the buying and use of goods into rituals, that we seek our spiritual satisfactions, our ego satisfactions, in consumption. The measure of social status, of social acceptance, of prestige, is now to be found in our consumptive patterns."(Lebow, 1955)       As keen observers of society, artists have responded to consumerism in various ways. They point out its driving forces: capitalism, an unlimited market, mass overconsumption, and money spending. Art has become a commodity that can be created by consumerism, bought and sold, and reflected upon everyday popular objects. In this week's blog, I would like to present three artists inspired by consumerism and reflecting on it in distinct ways.  1