The third aspect of Genji art that I want to explore is the concept of still life, or capturing moments in our lives that show us as we really are, every day.
In general, the concept of still life in art often refers to baskets of fruit or flowers. In Genji, however, I would argue that this refers to how the people are depicted in the pictures. That is, they are never "posing" for the shots, unlike portraits from, say, European artists. Instead, Genji images show us how the people of the courts lived their daily lives, moment to moment. As official ladies of the court, the characters often found themselves idling around, passing the time with games, poetry, music and art. In the image above, for example, two girls brush each others hair as the other reads. (Maybe she is supposed to be reading Genji?)
YOUR TASK:
In your Genji picture, be sure to draw at least three or more people inside the room that you have chosen. These people should be engaged in daily activities, like the characters that you see in the pictures from Genji.
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