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Lot Essay
"Combining shock and awe in equal measure with a seduction/solicitation strategy aimed at winning over jaded hearts and minds, Superflat functions like the ancient Trojan horse to penetrate the art and fashion world’s defenses and to neutralize whatever vestiges remain in the age of the corporate-sponsored art opening of the hermeneutics of suspicion." (D. Hebridge quoted in ©Murakami, exh. cat., Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, 2007 p. 24).
Takashi Murakami’s Theory of Super Flat Japanese Art, posited by the artist in 1990, argues that our definition of “art” is more or less the moment in which we are affected by an artwork, despite the fact that we may not completely comprehend the visual imagery or meaning of the work under consideration. Our desire to see and understand the future, if only briefly, is the driving force behind these actions and the essence of the Super Flat movement (T. Murakami, Super Flat, Tokyo, 2000, p. 9). In this regard, Murakami’s oeuvre can be described as an effort to combine the conceptually contrasting spheres of Japanese artistic imagery and the visual culture of the West. Melting DOB D subsequently acts as a work that plays into the artist’s attempt at producing a modern and unmistakable style through globally recognizable motifs.
Melting DOB D is captivatingly sinister and simultaneously playful. Murakami draws from the idea that anxieties in society, due to a tense political or social climate, heighten our interest in horror and monsters. Mr. DOB’s sharp teeth, mischievous smile, and piercing eyes are certainly frightening at once, yet we can’t peel our eyes away. The complex composition includes multiple faces and heads that protrude and ooze like growths, melting out of Mr. DOB. Further, the free-flowing patterns of color and form produce a visually appealing design juxtaposed against a more geometrically constructed checkered background. The superflatness of Melting DOB D eliminates the artist’s hand from the work because its smooth, almost reflective surface removes any focus on brushstrokes. Yet, considering the number of times the artist paints the character, Murakami is inherently part of it; some believe the character is Murakami’s alter ego.
Melting DOB D stems from a 1994 manifestation of Murakami’s single most represented and ubiquitous character in his domain of the Super Flat. The appearance of Mr. DOB is an amalgamation of Japanese and Western characters, primarily the acclaimed 1970s manga character Inakappe Taishō (The Funny Judo Champion) who features a gaping, clownish expression. He also draws inspiration from the robot cat Doraemon who is similar in coloration and features a wide-eyed visage not unlike the present work. Further, Mr. DOB greatly parallels Disney’s Mickey Mouse and the Russian cartoon character Cheburashka in head shape. Investigating the world around him via the inexhaustible variety of forms in which he is presented, Murakami suggests that Mr. DOB is a conduit to satisfy the goal of his artistic production: “On one side, I am trying show my compatriots what ‘art’ means on a global scale and on the other, to the foreigners, I am trying to show the essence of our current culture,” (High, Low and Superflat: Murakami Deconstructed, Christie’s, 2013).
Takashi Murakami’s participation in collaborations with brands and celebrities, such as Kanye West and Louis Vuitton, places his name in the forefront of everyday society. His interest in global consumerism and pop culture recalls the work of Andy Warhol, whose silkscreens were experimentations in working with bold color, rendering everyday products on the market, and exploiting the character of the celebrity. Murakami’s pervasive interest in painting Mr. DOB is not unlike Warhol’s renditions and repeated and close-up representation of Mickey Mouse, such as Quadrant Mickey Mouse (1981). These images act as precursors to Murakami’s reproduction of Mr. DOB across the past twenty-four years. Further, Damien Hirst’s and Jeff Koons’ preoccupation with depicting the sensational is akin to the comically shocking Melting DOB D.
Murakami studied Japanese painting at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1986 and a PH.D in 1993. His iconic style rests on blending traditional artistic conventions with a lexicon that is grounded in popular culture. This ability to harmonize fine art and popular culture, mainly traditional Japanese Nihonga visual imagery and the consumer culture of manga and anima, categorizes him as one of the most influential and renowned artists to come on the scene from Asia in the post-war era. Shortly before participating in the P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center’s International Study Program upon his arrival to the United States, Murakami created the first figure of Mr. DOB, subsequently revisiting and transforming the cartoon over time. Invoking both hilarity and disquietude, Mr. DOB can be a formidable creature, easily found in manga comics with hints of Western influence. The epitome of his style, Melting DOB D is a prominent painting that showcases Murakami’s most beloved character; the whimsically ominous Mr. DOB, whose debut appearance and presence in Murakami’s body of work is not only a play on an amalgam of various cartoon figures, but whose impact continues to influence the motifs in and development of Murakami’s art.
Takashi Murakami’s Theory of Super Flat Japanese Art, posited by the artist in 1990, argues that our definition of “art” is more or less the moment in which we are affected by an artwork, despite the fact that we may not completely comprehend the visual imagery or meaning of the work under consideration. Our desire to see and understand the future, if only briefly, is the driving force behind these actions and the essence of the Super Flat movement (T. Murakami, Super Flat, Tokyo, 2000, p. 9). In this regard, Murakami’s oeuvre can be described as an effort to combine the conceptually contrasting spheres of Japanese artistic imagery and the visual culture of the West. Melting DOB D subsequently acts as a work that plays into the artist’s attempt at producing a modern and unmistakable style through globally recognizable motifs.
Melting DOB D is captivatingly sinister and simultaneously playful. Murakami draws from the idea that anxieties in society, due to a tense political or social climate, heighten our interest in horror and monsters. Mr. DOB’s sharp teeth, mischievous smile, and piercing eyes are certainly frightening at once, yet we can’t peel our eyes away. The complex composition includes multiple faces and heads that protrude and ooze like growths, melting out of Mr. DOB. Further, the free-flowing patterns of color and form produce a visually appealing design juxtaposed against a more geometrically constructed checkered background. The superflatness of Melting DOB D eliminates the artist’s hand from the work because its smooth, almost reflective surface removes any focus on brushstrokes. Yet, considering the number of times the artist paints the character, Murakami is inherently part of it; some believe the character is Murakami’s alter ego.
Melting DOB D stems from a 1994 manifestation of Murakami’s single most represented and ubiquitous character in his domain of the Super Flat. The appearance of Mr. DOB is an amalgamation of Japanese and Western characters, primarily the acclaimed 1970s manga character Inakappe Taishō (The Funny Judo Champion) who features a gaping, clownish expression. He also draws inspiration from the robot cat Doraemon who is similar in coloration and features a wide-eyed visage not unlike the present work. Further, Mr. DOB greatly parallels Disney’s Mickey Mouse and the Russian cartoon character Cheburashka in head shape. Investigating the world around him via the inexhaustible variety of forms in which he is presented, Murakami suggests that Mr. DOB is a conduit to satisfy the goal of his artistic production: “On one side, I am trying show my compatriots what ‘art’ means on a global scale and on the other, to the foreigners, I am trying to show the essence of our current culture,” (High, Low and Superflat: Murakami Deconstructed, Christie’s, 2013).
Takashi Murakami’s participation in collaborations with brands and celebrities, such as Kanye West and Louis Vuitton, places his name in the forefront of everyday society. His interest in global consumerism and pop culture recalls the work of Andy Warhol, whose silkscreens were experimentations in working with bold color, rendering everyday products on the market, and exploiting the character of the celebrity. Murakami’s pervasive interest in painting Mr. DOB is not unlike Warhol’s renditions and repeated and close-up representation of Mickey Mouse, such as Quadrant Mickey Mouse (1981). These images act as precursors to Murakami’s reproduction of Mr. DOB across the past twenty-four years. Further, Damien Hirst’s and Jeff Koons’ preoccupation with depicting the sensational is akin to the comically shocking Melting DOB D.
Murakami studied Japanese painting at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1986 and a PH.D in 1993. His iconic style rests on blending traditional artistic conventions with a lexicon that is grounded in popular culture. This ability to harmonize fine art and popular culture, mainly traditional Japanese Nihonga visual imagery and the consumer culture of manga and anima, categorizes him as one of the most influential and renowned artists to come on the scene from Asia in the post-war era. Shortly before participating in the P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center’s International Study Program upon his arrival to the United States, Murakami created the first figure of Mr. DOB, subsequently revisiting and transforming the cartoon over time. Invoking both hilarity and disquietude, Mr. DOB can be a formidable creature, easily found in manga comics with hints of Western influence. The epitome of his style, Melting DOB D is a prominent painting that showcases Murakami’s most beloved character; the whimsically ominous Mr. DOB, whose debut appearance and presence in Murakami’s body of work is not only a play on an amalgam of various cartoon figures, but whose impact continues to influence the motifs in and development of Murakami’s art.