Takato Yamamoto

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CENTURY OLD ART COMBINED WITH MODERN DRAWING AND .. FETISJ. TAKATO YAMAMOTO IN A NUTSHELL

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Dusting off my art department here at the blog. It may not be known to most of you, but I read art history books for fun and would've gone into the art business.. If the big money from a career in medicine didn't lure me in to this university hell-hole that I am in right now. Haha. Just kidding, although it's mainly about studying my ass off, I think that my current study fits me so much better. I recently picked up this extra class of Greek mythologic art, and it's so floaty & not to the point compared to medicine studies! I couldn't believe it, kind of a culture shock. It was a good affirmation that I am going in the right direction. My brain has officially hospitalized. I felt like sharing this artist with you because I love art nontheless. Fans of 19th century illustrator Aubrey Beardsley (on which I have NEVER EVER spent a single word on my blog, which is kind of a sacrilege) will recognize this man's inspiration: Takato Yamamoto, born 50 years after Beardsley's death, is his Japanese equivalent. Both men have a great eye for aesthetic, use a certain kind of grotesque humour in their work and are highly controversial. Beardsley was the British enfant terrible of the art nouveau period. And although highly popular in Japan, Yamamoto has not a single book published in Europe, probably because Western cultures don't appreciate his on-edge style. His signature way of drawing is of a striking elegancy. These grainy scans of his work that circulate the internet add up to the feeling the strange, dark world of Yamamoto gives the observer. It's a mixup of previously mentioned Beardsley influences, classic Japanese manga and a fair amount of fetisj elements. Now, since the fashion world has gotten used to that word by now (Louis. Vuitton. FW11. Enough said) I thought I could show you. This is a selection of the more decent images - I myself aren't that fetisj-y so I prefer these relatively virtuous works of art. I think that art is partly about being able to look at an image for a long time, being it out of admiration.. Or a slightly uneasy feeling. Yamamoto has found a balance in between those two aspects and that's a remarkable talent. I am curious of your opinion.

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