Field Journal 10

Field Journal 10

          I love anime and manga (Japanese Comics). The stories, the visuals, they're wonderful. Which is what attracted me to the works of Tadanori Yokoo. Influenced by Dada, popular art and comic books, his style again, kind of reminds me of Peter max's work as I mentioned in my journal entry from last week. His style, with all the bright colors and hard lines shown in picture 23-25 in Megs History of Graphic Design really inspired me to learn more about him as an artist. He often collaged photographs within his designs. 

http://superfuture.com/sf/image/asset/00021617/image/502914af1c32b.jpg

Born in Nishiwaki, Japan in 1936, Tadanori Yokoo started out replicating paintings, drawing posters and designing store wrapping paper for the Chamber of Commerce. His first notable work was produced around  1965 when he depicted a self-titled poster featuring a hanged man with the Japanese rising sun's red rays and blue sky in the background. His name was at the top and at the bottom he had some childhood photos with a statement, "having reached a climax at the age of 29, I was dead." The rising sun appears in many of his pieces and became his (kind of) trademark or "Yokoo style" and an international symbol of Japanese pop art. Peter Max used this often as well. 

http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/3969/operafromtheworks6fq7.jpg

During the 1970's he was injured in a car accident and his close friend Yukio Mishima committed suicide by hara kiri. He quit work for a while to reflect on the the events that occurred. Soon he became very fearful of death and increasingly interested in Buddhism, Indian culture, extraterrestrial civilizations and UFOs. He became friends with rock and roll musicians and was asked to do their album covers and poster. He became friends with Carlos Santana and his cover for the album "Lotus" was awarded a prize.

http://www.progarchives.com/progressive_rock_discography_covers/2667/cover_1518161632010.jpg

In the early 1990s, Yokoo introduced computer design to his repertoire and his style changed again. He reassembled some of his old works digitally and once again he had an exhibition of his posters in 1998. He was able to expose a new generation to his works.

His work combines so many different things that I find dear to my own heart as in Ukiyo-e influences, comic art, spiritualism, and Japanese cultural themes. I will refer to his work again and again for motivation and to get my creative mind flowing.

http://www.jazjaz.net/2008/09/the-mesmerizing-music-film-posters-of-tadanori-yokoo.html

I end with one of my mom's favorite R & B groups of all time, Earth Wind and Fire. Tadamori made a spectacular poster.

http://www.adcglobal.org/archive/hof/2000/?id=205