My Motivation To Build A Career In Art History

My Japanese heritage is important to me, and exploring cross-cultural relationships in the History of Art is of particular interest. Studying Delacroix’s Women of Algiers prompted me to explore Orientalism, and I started thinking about other movements influenced by different cultures. This led me to research Japonism, where Japanese art influences European art, particularly Post-Impressionism. At the “Van Gogh and Japan” exhibition in the Van Gogh Museum, Amsterdam, I attended a lecture hosted by a curator. I was fascinated to learn how Van Gogh was inspired by Japanese art’s frequent omission of the horizon, suggesting distance through objects higher in the frame, instead of linear perspective and recession. This was a technique with which I was familiar, having visited the Hokusai exhibition at the British Museum and the Hokusai Museum in Tokyo, which allowed me to see Japanese ukiyo-e and woodblock prints. Reading “Vincent van Gogh and Japan” by Louis van Tilborgh, I learnt Van Gogh also adopted techniques such as prominent diagonals, bright flat areas of colour and cropping.

I was surprised to learn that cross cultural relationships and the idea of the “Orient” are seen in Venetian paintings as early as the 15th century. Gentile Bellini was influenced by the Ottoman Empire to use Islamic designs and carpets in his paintings, as seen in “Madonna and Child Enthroned”.

Intrigued by the dynamic forms of Bernini’s sculptures, which I saw at Borghese Gallery, I read the “Power of Art” by Simon Schama. I am interested in materiality and despite being restricted by the low tensile strength of marble, I love the way he manages to liberate the figures to create dynamic forms full of expression and torsion, seemingly suspended in mid action. “The Rape of Proserpina” was most memorable for me and how her desperation is conveyed through her twisting form while Pluto’s possessive sexual nature is expressed most notably through his fingers sinking into her thigh. I was also compelled by Schama’s comment on how Bernini achieves the “visualization of bliss” through such expressive sculptures.

In the “Power of Art” I also read about Picasso. Picasso’s use of expressionism without restraint to express his views of all aspects of life from joyous to melancholy, compelled me to visit the exhibition “Picasso 1932 – Love, Fame, Tragedy” at Tate Modern. I was able to extend my knowledge of Modernism and Fauvism, as well as witnessing Picasso’s inspiration from the Surrealists’ exploration of the subconscious. A painting that particularly intrigued me was “Girl Before a Mirror” and how the figures can be interpreted in many ways. The figure on the left is painted with light tones and bright colors, reflecting happiness and youth; curves are used to emphasize femininity and give the painting an erotic touch. The mirror creates a strong vertical axis visually dividing the painting in two. The reflection is more obscure, which I interpreted as the subconscious. I agreed with Adrian Searle’s review in The Guardian on how mirror and dream images are distortions of reality and represents women how Picasso perceived them. I believe Picasso’s treatment of the women’s body, although sexualized and misogynistic, also explores the sensual and enveloping nature of love as well as the subconscious sexual desire.

I also practice fine art, which I plan to continue, and life drawing classes improve my analytical skills as well as further helping me understand the representation of figures in art. Being bilingual I value the importance of languages and other cultures, thus I intend to continue learning additional languages at university, recognizing that languages are key to a career in art history.

The prospect of learning new areas, such as the northern renaissance, only serves to motivate me to research further and the prospects of finding more examples of cross cultural relationships is exciting.