Daughter+of+Art+History+-+Yasumasa+Morimura

=**Daughter of Art History: Yasumasa Morimura**=




 * Title: Daughter of Art History (Theater B)
 * Artist(s): Yasumasa Morimura
 * Date: 1990
 * Period: Contemporary
 * Country of Origin: Japan
 * Cultural/Ethnic Affiliation: Japanese
 * Medium: Photograph
 * Dimensions: 70 3/4 in X 96 3/4 in
 * Museum/Collection:
 * Accession Number:
 * Museum/Collection:
 * Accession Number:

**Introduction:**
At first glance, we feel like we have seen this image before. When we take a second look, some oddities begin to reveal themselves. This is not the first time that we have seen remakes of famous works of art, but Yasumasa Morimura makes sure that you know it was him who created it. Morimura is a Japanese photographer, born in 1951, who appropriates images from other artists. He takes a photo of himself and digitally enhances it to look like famous paintings. In order to take the first photo of himself, he creates a very complex set that includes all the finer details.

This particular series, //Daughter of Art History//, has been exhibited in the Sagacho Exhibit Space in Tokyo, Japan and the Luhring Augustine in New York. Morimura appropriates images from Manet, Van Gogh, Da Vinci, Kahlo, Rembrandt, Velázquez, etc. Don't think that still-life artists are safe either, Morimura will find a way to incorporate his face into the image. "Art is basically entertainment," says Morimura, "Even Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci were entertainers. In that way, I am an entertainer and want to make art that is fun."

**Descriptive Analysis:**
It all starts with a famous artwork and a very elaborate setting. Morimura painstakingly recreated the surroundings of a //Bar at the Folies Bergere.// He assumed the subject of the painting by applying liberal makeup and costume. He did the scene more than once (seen below). The arms that we see turned outward are not arms at all. They are cast from plaster and painted a skin tone. In //Theater B//, Morimura becomes the female bartender. This subject is not foreign to Morimura. He pushes the boundaries of "self portraits" because he frequently transforms himself into a female in his artwork. He captures the look on the bartender's face flawlessly. Every minute detail is represented. The only inconsistencies are those that Morimura purposefully changed. He still captures the sparkling quality of the foil on each Bass bottle. This rendition does not lose any of the Impressionist qualities that Manet created. He challenges the viewer to find the qualities that he has changed. This section should just describe the visual elements in the photograph!

Formal & Contextual Analysis**:**



 * **Title: A Bar at the Folies-Bergere**
 * **Year: 1882**
 * **Medium: Oil on canvas**
 * **Artist: Manet, Edouard**
 * **Period: Impressionist**

This painting by Manet was a depiction of a real place. The Bar really did exist with a trapeze artist and all (upper left corner), but that is not the focus of this painting. The focus is the relationship between the man and the woman. Of course, the bartender's face looks disinterested, but there is tension underneath the surface. The reflective bottles of booze, the fruit in the bowl, everything is for sale. It is said that because she has turned her wrists outward, she is also for sale. It is also said that the placement of her corsage, also hints at the fact that she is a sexual object (source-"it is said", Who said it?). There is a mirror behind the bartender, and Manet purposefully tilts it so that we can see what is happening in front of the bar. We see a very full bar and a man standing in front of the woman. This man is most likely propositioning the her. In Morimura's piece, he becomes the bartender and the man propositioning the woman.



(Theater A) (Theater B)
In the same year, Morimura created both //Theater A// and //Theater B//. One in which the bartender is clothed and the other she is naked, covering her breasts. //Theater B// reveals the more obvious sexual connotations, moving the flower vase to conveniently cover his exposed body.

In his book, //Daughter of Art History: Photographs of Yasumasa Morimura//, the artist describes why he chose his subjects. When asked why he was so fixated on Western art, Morimura responded, "Both in knowledge and technique, the art education I received was based in the Western tradition. In his art history classes, he was taught the same thing that Americans learn in high school. Basic Western artworks are taught first and if there is time, a couple of Asian countries are mentioned. Luckily, in college, more diverse artworks are taught." (source, pp. #)

In his artworks, Morimura transforms himself into half male and half female. This confused sexuality makes him a controversial artist, even in today's society. He recreates these famous pieces, showing off his obviously male face and body, an aging adult in place of flawless young females. The complexity of these pieces brings great debate to the art world. Some of his images are disturbing and imbalanced, but these make for an interesting art piece.

One other series this artist has done is //Actresses//. These include Morimura posing as famous actresses from Western culture. Brigette Bardot, Marilyn Monroe, Vivian Leigh, Audrey Hepburn, and many others have been recreated. It is important to note that Morimura is not the first artist to be portrayed as a woman in a photograph. Man Ray photographed Marcel Duchamp in 1920. Marcel Duchamp had a female identity in the art world known as Rose Selavy, and he would occasionally sign his work with that name (source). Man Ray photographed Duchamp in female attire. Morimura was aware of these Da-Da artist, and he also appropriated this image. His version was done in 1988, in color. This homage to the fathers of Da-Da is an important nod to those who have come before Morimura. He is aware of his predecessors and acknowledges their work. --In Japan some of the MAVO artists of the twenties also performed as women.

His photographs may be a mockery of Western art masterpieces, but his works are masterpieces as well. He has shown that he is extremely talented and has mastered many different mediums at once. In the foreword of //Daughter of Art History//, art historian Donald Kuspit said "Morimura's art is a kind of Wagnerian Gesamtkunstwerk, in which painting, sculpture and photography form a seamless conceptual whole." (pp. )

=Works Cited= = = Hiller, Andrew. //Daughter of Art History: Photographs of Yasumasa Morimura//. Aperture Foundation. 2003. This book shows a history of Morimura's art through photos with brief descriptions. It also has a translation of Morimura's opinions about his artworks. [] Yasumasa Morimura's official website is in Japanese.

[] This website contains a small gallery of the artist's work.

[] Has a brief description of the artists work and links to different galleries.