Geisha Project

Although I loved brusho I felt for this topic collage allowed me to put across a message more effectively. Firstly I took some pictures of myself (as seen as the top of this picture) in traditional Geisha dress. I decided these would be best to use in my main piece as secondary images wouldn't allow me to reference my personal journey to Japan and my feelings toward to rapid decrease in the Geisha culture. The ripped coloured background, whilst first be focused as aesthetically pleasing, can show how colourful and varied the life of the Geisha is. Whilst describing my topic to people, they labelled Geisha as 'prostitutes', something that  no doubt is offence to rich Japanese tradition. The varied opinions of Geisha's was again something I wanted to develop.

The biro drawing allowed for a simplistic design that didn't clash with the bright background. It also was able to remain subtle, something I thought worked well. 

Geisha Project

Instead of trying to establish a message in this piece, I focused on use of other materials. I enjoyed using brusho as it allowed me to portray a more fluid piece as the water-based medium was great for movement and also for varying shades. However for my main piece, I don't think I would use brusho as it is quite difficult to achieve detail and precision, although I would like to use it later in the year.

Geisha Project

For this piece I wanted to compare iconography in Japan again however this time I decided to achieve the detail that lacked in my previous piece, it was best to have collage as a base instead of incorporating it into the main image. Therefore I decided to draw the Geisha as cartoons as a reference to the massive culture of anime and cartoon drawings in Japan.

I drew this on top of ripped up, coffee stained extracts out of the book 'Memoirs of a Geisha'. I read this book as I began re-searching my topic and it gave me a much better understanding of Geisha culture and the history of it. I coffee-stained them to show how the Geisha community is in serious decline and instead of being one of Japan's current icons, it is instead a fading tradition.

Geisha Project

I decided to focus on the development on Japan as a country and the contrasts I saw whilst there. Although I went to places that were rich in tradition, it was clear to see how technologically advanced Japan is in comparison to England. However it was the contrast between the changing icons of Japan that interested me the most. Whilst visiting Nagoya, images of cartoons and anime such as Hello Kitty and Astroboy were overwhelming however I also visited Kyoto, the birthplace of the Geisha. Seeing impressive temples and some Geisha themselves really gave me a sense of tradition.

In this piece I experimented with collage to combine these two iconic images of Japan. The 'Hello Kitty' symbol allowed me to keep the whiteness of the Geisha's face whilst also ensure the redness of the lips was shown. Whilst I loved the message this sent, the execution lacked the detail I wanted to achieve in my main piece.

Geisha Project

This is one of my sketches from my life-drawing classes. I tried to keep it a simple line drawing without much shading/detail as I wanted it to have a more cartoon style feel. This was to incorporate it into my theme. Although I found it difficult to stylise whilst drawing from direct observation, I feel I achieved a simplified look whilst also maintaining the correct proportions. To link my study to my theme further, I altered the cloth he was sat on to resemble a sumo belt to relate back to the historical aspect of my project. 

Geisha Project - Some of the sights in Japan

Inspiration

In July - August 2012 I got the amazing opportunity to go to Japan with 5 other people my age from across the globe to counsel 40 children in areas such as poverty, peace, stereotypes and prejudice. Not only did I make loads of new friends and have a great time, I also got to experience a new culture. Whether this was through trying new foods, struggling in the humid weather or, in particular, looking into Japanese art and architecture, it was very enriching. It also provided the bases of my personal study and my first official project of A2 art.