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Lot Essay
Yoshitomo Nara's choice of medium is very diverse and free. Other than his famed paintings, sculptures also demonstrate his creative genius. Following the traditional discipline, Dream (Lot 108) is carved from a single block of wood. The subject is simple: it is the head of child. Wearing a nightcap with her eyes closed, it rests on top of a rectangular pedestal. Compositionally, it is drastically different from the conventional bust. The head is the artist's sole emphasis. Making the face the focal area amplifies the mental state of the subject. The supposedly soft nightcap is erected in this sculpture. It is a surrealistic and comedic image.
Considering the basic forms of this wooden sculpture, it is composed of the simplest shapes: triangle, circle, and rectangle. Yoshitomo Nara's extensive use of geometric shapes in figures reminds viewers of the famous work ○△□ by the Japanese Zen Buddhist painter Sengai Gibon. These three rudimentary shapes are supposed to encompass everything in the universe. This simple modelling of the human head reveals the ingenuity behind Yoshitomo Nara's conception. Alluding to the Zen Buddhist work, this child in nightcap is a metaphor for the vastness of the universe that we experience when we dream.
Considering the basic forms of this wooden sculpture, it is composed of the simplest shapes: triangle, circle, and rectangle. Yoshitomo Nara's extensive use of geometric shapes in figures reminds viewers of the famous work ○△□ by the Japanese Zen Buddhist painter Sengai Gibon. These three rudimentary shapes are supposed to encompass everything in the universe. This simple modelling of the human head reveals the ingenuity behind Yoshitomo Nara's conception. Alluding to the Zen Buddhist work, this child in nightcap is a metaphor for the vastness of the universe that we experience when we dream.