COLLECTION NAME:
Visual Resources Teaching Collection
mediaCollectionId
ArtArtHiAAH~7~7
Visual Resources Teaching Collection
Collection
true
Image Record ID:
aahi0004122
image_record_id
aahi0004122
Image Record ID
false
Work Title (display):
Dogs from Your Childhood
Image Title:
installation view
Work Dates (display):
1999
Work Dates type:
creation
Image Date (display):
2009-03-13
Work Creator (display):
Yoshitomo Nara (Japanese, born 1959)
Work Creator gender:
male
work_creator_or_agent_gender
male
Work Creator gender
false
Work Creator notes (display):
Japanese painter, sculptor and draughtsman. He studied at the Aichi Prefectural University of Fine Arts and Music (19857) and then continued his studies at the Kunstakademie in Düsseldorf (198893). Nara was born and raised in a rural area of Japan and, as a child of working parents, he spent much of his time alone with only his imagination, comic books and family pets as company. The paintings, drawings and sculptures of seemingly innocent, wide-eyed children and dogs that have become his trademark are an attempt to capture this childhood sense of boredom and frustration and recapture the fierce independence natural to children (see fig.). His paintings and drawings have a childlike simplicity that is reminiscent of traditional book illustration, but the works also have a restlessness and tension that is influenced, in part, by Nara's love of punk rock, and is reinforced with such titles as The Girl with the Knife in Her Side (1991), Silent Violence (1998), Neurotic to the Bone (1999) and There is Nothing (2000).Nara's earliest paintings are simple and straightforward with thick, bold lines and primary colours. In these early works, children and animals often share space on the canvas with fragments of text and painted props, such as tiny knives, toys and cardboard boxes. His paintings evolved until his subject-matter was reduced to its essentialssimplified child and animal figures, with piercing gazes, staring out at the viewer from an otherwise empty canvas (see fig.). His sculptures, usually made out of fibreglass, share this same economy of form. Naraa father of the Tokyo Pop movementis one of a generation of artists who grew up during the post-World War II economic boom in Japan that was characterized by, among other things, an influx of popular culture from the West, including the animation of Warner Bros and Walt Disney. The influence of these American cartoons, as well as Japanese comics (manga) and animated television shows (anime), such as Gigantor and Speed Racer, is often cited in discussions of his work. However, Nara is a skilled and sensitive painter, who was also greatly influenced by the tranquil palette, classic balance and the space-consuming figures in paintings by such pre-Renaissance masters as Giotto.In addition to painting and sculpture, Nara created many drawings. These are usually hastily scribbled on the backs of postcards, used envelopes and other scraps of paper and often incorporate text in English, German, or Japanese. Unlike the composed surface of the paintings, the drawings are raw and immediate and reveal Nara's youthful rebellious streak. As one of Japan's most popular contemporary artists, his works are shown in important galleries and museums around the world, but they can also be seen, and purchased, on t-shirts, postcards, CD covers, skateboards and even yo-yos. (Kristin Chambers. "Nara, Yoshitomo." Grove Art Online. Oxford Art Online. 18 Mar. 2009 .)
Work Style Period:
20th century
work_styleperiod
20th century
Work Style Period
false
Work Style Period:
Contemporary
work_styleperiod
Contemporary
Work Style Period
false
Work Subject:
tranquility
subject
tranquility
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
adulthood
subject
adulthood
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
nostalgia
subject
nostalgia
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
existence
subject
existence
Work Subject
false
Work Subject:
childhood
subject
childhood
Work Subject
false
Work Worktype:
sculpture (visual works)
work_type
sculpture (visual works)
Work Worktype
false
Work Worktype:
installations (visual works)
work_type
installations (visual works)
Work Worktype
false
Work Category (VRC classification):
sculptures and installations
work_category__ucbaahvrc_classification_
sculptures and installations
Work Category (VRC classification)
false
Work Material and Technique (display):
fiberglass, lacquer paint, nessel, felt with acrylic paint
Work Measurements (display):
41.75 in (H) x 23.5 in (W) x 86.5 in (D)
Work Location (Repository or Site) name:
private collection
Work Location (Repository or Site) role:
installation
Image Source Reproduction citation:
Collins, Judith. Sculpture Today. New York: Phaidon Press, 2007.
image_source_copy_from_print_name
Collins, Judith. Sculpture Today. New York: Phaidon Press, 2007.
Image Source Reproduction citation
false
Image Source Reproduction refid:
978-0-7148-4314-8
Image Source Reproduction page number:
287
Image Source Reproduction plate-figure number:
288
Image Source Reproduction refid type:
ISBN
Image Rights (display):
© Tomio Koyama Gallery
Image Rights fair use checklist:
1) use of this image is for education and educational research; 2) access is restricted to University of Colorado and Auraria Higher Education Center communities; 3) the original photographer is credited if known; 4) the image is published; 5) the amount of the work in relation to the whole is needed for education or educational research; 6) the number of derivatives is the minimum required for education or educational research; 7) the image has not been found to be reasonably available for sale; 8) duplication of the image does not violate preexisting contracts.
Work Rights (display):
© Yoshitomo Nara
Terms of Agreement and Conditions of Use:
YOU AGREE: Luna Imaging's Insight Software and the digital image collection associated with it (the Software) are being provided by the University of Colorado under the following license. By obtaining, using, and/or copying this work, you (the Licensee) agree that you have read, understood, and will comply with the following terms and conditions. 1. The Software contains the University of Colorado's Department of Art and Art History's implementation of a digital image collection; 2. Any images obtained through use of the Software will be used only for non-profit, educational purposes; 3. The use of images obtained through the software will only be used while the Licensee is either: a) an employee of the University of Colorado, Metropolitan State College of Denver, or the Community College of Denver, or b) an enrolled student at the University of Colorado, Metropolitan State College of Denver, or the Community College of Denver; 4. When the Licensee is no longer an employee or student of the University of Colorado, Metropolitan State College of Denver or Community College of Denver, either by an action of the University of Colorado, Metropolitan State College of Denver or the Community College of Denver or due to actions of the Licensee, the licensee will cease to use any images exported from the Department of Art and Art History's digital image collection; 5. The Licensee agrees to indemnify the University for claims and liability arising out of the use of the Software or for any violations of this license; 6. THE UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO SUPPLIES THE SOFTWARE WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
CU Copyright Statement:
The contents of the University of Colorado Digital Library are available for your use in research, teaching, and private study. Some of these items are protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.) and some items may have additional restrictions. If you use the items in this collection, make sure you abide by any restrictions stated in the descriptive data window. The nature of these collections often makes it difficult to determine the copyright status of an item. We have made every effort to provide information about copyright owners and other restrictions in the descriptive data window. Ultimately, however, it is your responsibility to use the item according to the terms governing its use. If you are a copyright holder and the information is either not listed or listed incorrectly, please let us know so that we can update the information on our site.
Holding Institution:
University of Colorado at Boulder
Collection:
Art and Art History Visual Resources Collection
Collection info and contact:
For information about this collection, see