Chapter XX: The Art of Genji, Part 5 - Fabrics and Colors

In this last posting on art in Genji, I want to discuss a final feature which is striking in the Genji scrolls: the colors.

Overall, the main color is gold. This is used, as was previously mentioned, in the clouds that boarder all of the pictures. However, bright hues are also used in almost every scene to bring to life the vivid costumes of the characters.

Genji characters are always depicted in multi-layered, billowing robes, the kind that is often seen in with people of the Heian court. Whether or not this was truly their daily dress remains a mystery, although one wonders how it was possible for them to wear so many layers and still get around. Nonetheless, the clothes, with their patterns and colors, present a wonderful layer to this art.

It should be noted here that clothing takes away any semblance of gender -- one needs to look at the color and patterns in the kimono to see if it's a boy or girl. (Girls always have more color.) Headdress is another way of distinguishing the genders: the men are usually wearing the curved hats; women have their long, thick hair brushed down -- a distinct sign of "beauty" for a woman, as mentioned several times in the text.

Incidentally, the crest of Genji, shown above, appears in very little of the extant illustrated versions. Many believe this crest was given to the family well after the story was written.

YOUR TASK:

As with the other tasks, your job is to include patterns and fabrics (in characters clothing or in other places in the room, such as blankets) that represent who the characters are, what they like, and where they come from. Feel free to use modern images (patterns) in your drawing.

Chapter XIX: The Art of Genji, Part 4 - Anime eyes?

The fourth aspect of Genji art I would like to discuss is the facial features of the characters.

All Japanese art, including comic books (or manga) have highly stylized expressions, and different conventions are used for different genres. In Genji, three features are most prominent: the round, white faces with the dashes for eyes and small hooks for noses. This technique actually has a name in Japanese: hikime-kagihana.

Obviously, this technique is quiet different from modern anime. Now, the eyes seemingly can't get any bigger! But in the Genji scrolls, characters are given little, if any, facial expressions. You have to look at the direction of their heads to see what they are looking at. Even then, they appear without emotion.

The most recent manga versions give the characters larger eyes, probably to show more emotion, as you can see in the images above.

YOUR TASK:

Choose one style of expression for the people in your drawing, either hikime-kagihana, or the modern version with larger eyes. Be consistent!

Chapter XVIII: The Art of Genji, Part 3 - Still Life

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.

Chapter XVII: The Art of Genji, Part 2 - Golden Clouds & Flowery Seasons

The next aspect of art we will explore with Genji prints is the ubiquitous golden clouds that frame each of the pictures. When I saw the small images of Genji at the museum, this was their most striking feature, because even after 900 years, the gold leaf (it was real!) shined like the prince himself!

Why do you think Genji artists find this world to be floating in golden clouds?

Next, regarding time, we know that each picture corresponds to a section of the story. This setting is represented usually with flowers, but it could also be leaves, or other parts of nature such as snow or rain.

Japan is a country of seasons, I now recall as I move from one place to the next, sweating under a hot summer sun. These seasons play an important role in how Japanese artists imagine themselves in their art.

YOUR TASK:

Remember to include some indication of "season" in your drawing. Your drawing should also be framed by some aspect of nature, but it does not have to be clouds.

Chapter XVI: The Art of Genji, Part I - Perspectives

After seeing Genji scrolls in person for the first time, I'm inspired to write five small chapters specficially dealing with the art commonly found in the images created for this story. For each of these small assignments, you will be asked to explore the images and write about what you see, but the final assignment will be for you to create a picture of your life, in the style of Genji scrolls. To do this, we have to examine the major artistic characteristics of the pictures, and I think we should start with perspective.

Perspective is like point of view -- it is where we view the picture from.

For example, in movies, perspective is where the camera is located as the scene is being recorded. Looking at the image above, where do you think "the camera" would be located?

First, Genji images always take a 'bird's eye' perspective; that is, we look down on the images as if we were a bird. That said, it is interesting that these images also come to us at a angle, so we can see, in perspective, the traditional sliding paper doors, outer walls, and gardens of Genji. In order for us to do this, something has to be missing: the roof.

Here in Japan, I find the roofs to be one of the most distinctive parts of Japanese architecture: their dark, ceramic tiles; the curved slope; the turned-up edges. (See photo above.) For me, this is the best thing about Japanese castles and larger, traditional homes. It is interesting, then, that that is the first thing removed from these prints. Obviously, the 'bird's eye' perspective -- and perhaps, really "getting into the story" -- was very important to these artists!

Now, remember, YOUR TASK is to draw your picture using the same kind of perspective. In other words, you need to remove the roof of whatever room you are drawing.

You should also write a short paragraph explaining how this perspective helps the reader "get into the story."

Chapter XV: Some things Never Change

For this small chapter, I'd like to return to an idea that I had earlier in this blog: What is the same about Japan, and what is different?

First, when looking at Genji, it is clear the image of this novel has seen various permutations through the years. At times it has been viewed as classic literature, other times it has simply been a soap opera, or perhaps historical record. The point is, like Genji, some things change, while some things remain the same.

I came to this country for the first time in 1989, when I was still a teenager. Back then, everything seemed so modern, so fast and efficient. In fact, everything seemed very "21st Century."

Now, I'm back, and it is the 21st Century. As I walk the streets and talk to the people, I am amazed by some of the things that have changed, and some of the things that have remained the same. For example, despite all modern digital technology, Japan still has a old school "photo booth" in all of the train stations. People take pictures here for ID cards, passports, etc. Seeing one of these reminded me of how much fun we used to have taking pictures in these booths. Of course, I had to do it again, just for the sake of feeling young again.

Technology, it seems, is unpredictable in Japan. On one hand, it would seem that they would be the most advanced in everything; on this trip, however, I have learned that their cell phone technology is far behind ours (having just purchased my own iPhone back in the States.) Japanese digital, 3D, animated movies are also behind America. In fact, only this summer Japan has produced its first main stream, full length digital film (See Japan Times article below), compared, of course, to Pixar, which has been producing digital films now for well over a decade. I'm sure this has something to do with Miyazaki Hayao's (the Japanese 'Walt Disney') insistence on not using the medium. (He continues to draw everything by hand, including the latest movie to be shown in the U.S. "Ponyo.")

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ff20090807a1.html

Still, I think it's funny how some things change, and how some things never do!

Chapter XIV: IIlustrations of Genji @ Gotoh

Today I had the privilege of visiting the beautiful Gotoh museum in Tokyo. A private museum, the Gotoh is only open a few days a week -- and then, only for a few hours -- so I was lucky to get in. Although the museum has a large holding of Genji materials, unfortunately I missed the anniversary show that the museum had last year. Nonetheless, a few of the pieces were on display, and I was amazed by the pictures.

First, each of the pieces (at least in this collection) were only slightly larger than a large postage stamp. (!) We examined them in their glass cases through magnifying glasses, which is very strange, considering that many believed these minature masterpieces were created hundreds of years before this kind of technology was introduced to Japan. Another thing I found interesting was the timing of the illustrations: the holdings at Gotoh, which come from three different schools of art, represent the 1100s, 1300s and 1500s, respectively. Obviously, these come some time after Genji was originally written; and only one of the pictures I observed had any kind of writing. In other words, the original text of Genji probably did not contain any illustrations, and conversely many of the later illustrated versions did not contain the text.

I also found it interesting to learn that Genji was written not as a book, but as a scroll. In the novel itself, many of the characters communicate to one another by writing letters on scrolls, so it is not hard to think that is how Murasaki originally penned her story. Ladies in the Heian court often wrote stories for one another on these scrolls, which they would then put in the square, wooden boxes they used as pillows (see picture above). For this reason, Genji and other stories are known as "pillow books."

Maybe this is why Genji is so full of romance and intrigue. After all, we all enjoy a good story before going to sleep, don't we?

YOUR TASK:

1) Visit a local museum, either for art, nature or history. Record what you did and saw. How were the items displayed? Why do you think they were displayed that way?