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he graphic designer and artist Tadanori Yokoo took part in a modernist movement influenced by the European avant-garde that began in Tokyo, Japan around 1910. This movement was almost completely wiped out by the mid- 1930s due to Japan’s age of militarism. This was an era in which the Japanese empire, along with its economy, grew larger and began to recuperate from a period of depression. During this time, art and many other creative forms of expression were momentarily halted. It took about two decades to see the reemergence of this modernist movement. Born in 1936, Yokoo grew up surrounded by pre-war and Western imagery which would ultimately influence his designs. Later on his life Yokoo made an in-depth excursion through the U.S and Europe, witnessing artistic movements like neo-Dada, a movement which began in Switzerland, and focused on societal queries and political scorn. Yokoo also delved into the experience of American hippie culture. Tadanori Yokoo, along with fellow Japanese designers Issey Miyake, and Eiki Ishioka, belonged to the first generation of artists to introduce criticism to Japanese design. Even though Yokoo was very much aware of the western art world, he would always go back to his Japanese roots in terms of design and use of imagery. His most characteristic elements when designing were the use of bold colors, western touches, and the exploitation of taboo subjects.
Left: Tadanori Yokoo, 2010.
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STRIKING COLOR One distinct feature in Yokoo’s work was the variety of bright colors used throughout his pieces. A clear example of this is Having Reached a Climax at the Age of 29, I Was Dead which uses the combination of red and blue to depict the rising sun of Japan as well as the mixing of red and purple, tints commonly seen in countless psychedelic posters of the 1960s. Mount Fuji is at both top corners at two different stages: the top left is calm while the top right version is erupting. Both bottom corners contain photographic imagery with drawn pictures. This poster portrays Tadanori Yokoo himself committing suicide in order to rid himself of the burden of the success and failure of his past work. Yokoo used this piece as a way to renew himself and start from a fresh perspective. Another poster, created for the Museum of Modern Art in New York, also uses bright colors and imagery of mouths and an eye, common in 1960s psychedelic posters. What surrounds the eye is a symbol of the imperial Japanese battle flag. This type of artwork, and others such as Amzon, Poster for Four Noh Dramas and , marked a point in which the idea of art in Japan was about to change from the aesthetically pleasing, in terms of the Japanese artistic ideals, to a more modern and raw form of expression.
Shin Sangokushi, 1999.
Amazon, 1989.
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Having Reached a Climax at the Age of 29, I Was Dead, 1965.
Top Right: Poster for a Poster Exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, 1968. Bottom Right: Poster promoting a Series of Noh Dramas, 1969.
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Soseki Matsune: A Man of Culture Stamps Series, 1977.
Greeting, 1972.
EAST MEETS WEST Yokoo’s work was a clash of two worlds. The so-called “western style” became part of his signature style, a style known for addressing forbidden topics and reinventing them into visual messages that many could understand. The Stories of Marilyn Monroe’s Love Life is a perfect example of how Yokoo would merge styles to make his design graphically strong. Here Yokoo depicts the American icon Marilyn Monroe in a variety of ways, many of them as the sexualized and famous version of her. She is minimally clothed, a common sight in American culture. Imagery such as the beach, the white house, and the ledge on the far left, are all western as are the people throughout the composition. The poster M uses imagery from European fine art such as the Venus of Urbino by Titian and the Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian by Il Sodoma for the Tokyo ballet. These types of Eropean motifs are also evident in many of his works such as Greeting. Nonetheless his work Soseki Matsune: A Man of Culture Stamps Series embrasses his Japanese origins, simething evident in his photograph as well. This emphasizes the fact that Yokoo’s experiences played a major role in the execution of his ideas whether it was for the public or for an organization, he never allowed public opinion to cloud his ideas.
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M, 2000. Right:The Stories of Marilyn Monroe’s Love Life, 1969.
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TABOO SUBJECTS One of the ways Tadanori Yokoo was able to distinguish himself from the rest of the art community was by creating designs that went against the norms or social standards. Growing up in conservative Japan at a time of war gave Yokoo’s designs a greater impact among the public. Ikko Tanaka once said, “Yokoo’s loud colors and crude motifs shattered the conventions of refined taste”. In 1971, Yokoo designed a poster featuring the actress Ruriko Asaoka, where she was depicted naked on the floor in a fetal position. With a curved back, a bowing head and an overall low body stance, this is a pose that incites vulnerability. Strips along her body give her measurements and included on the left center of the poster is a photograph of Charlton Heston. The act of adding a western actor’s picture in one of his graphic illustrations further exemplifies the influence of said western ideas. Although now considered a notable work of art, it was in its time an unauthorized poster which caused controversy and greatly offended Asaoka.Many of his posters from the 60s became controversial becaus they used his distinctive raw style. The 1970s were a time in which photography was similarly evolving, the appealing essence of pictures was replaced by the crude and powerful concept of emotions and passion. As a consequence, Yokoo’s posters and designs contributed to this new mentality in Japanese art. Photography also became one of Yokoo’s strengths since he used it in a variety of pieces, like Ballad to an Amputated Little Finger where the predominant visual imagery is a collage of several photographs.
Series Untitled, C. 1960s.
Poster Featuring the Actress Ruriko Asaoka, 1971.
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Untitled, C. 1960s.
Ballad to an Amputated Little Finger, 1967.
YOKOO'S LOUD COLORS AND CRUDE MOTIFS SHATTERED THE CONVENTIONS OF REFINED TASTE -IKKO TANAKA
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LEGACY Tadanori Yokoo went against the current when it came to social norms. Yokoo once said that his inspiration came from the face of a child he saw in a magazine he liked to read. The child represented innocence and a certain naïve purity which influenced Yokoo’s morals and values. Yokoo was accused of dragging down modern design to the level of the masses. After that critique, Yokoo decided to embrace and express his Japanese roots. This turning point in his life helped his art to evolve into a distinctive voice of friendly irony. The use of bold colors strengthened his ideas, while westernized motifs showed the influence of European and American culture on Yokoo. By addressing “off-limits” topics, Yokoo was able to distinguish himself from a place dominated by post-war designs. Thanks to artists like Tadanori Yokoo, who took risks and did not conform to what was “right” or visually appealing, Japanese art is what it is today. Many Japanese artists are now using bold colors and uncommon topics to make a statement. One clear recent example of this is a 2014 poster for the Japanese Theater called Bibiru by Hiromi Osuka. Here Osuka depicts a woman on the floor holding a fish with food all around her. The
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, PONPONPON, 2011.
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Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, PONPONPON, 2015.
artist uses big and strong typography in Japanese similar to that of western comics. Her choice of colors is bold, especially the vibrant red background that makes the white typography stand out. The woman’s appearance is rugged, and upon closer inspection, the model does not possess the standard idea of beauty often associated with a slender physique. Her makeup is heavy and looks smeared while most parts of her body are stained with food or covered in crumbs. The wrinkled and unflattering piece of blue clothing barely covers her bosom, which allows a peek at the pink and black undergarment, exposing a certain level of vulnerability. This poster can easily be compared back to Yokoo’s poster of Ruriko Asaoka. The Japanese pop singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu has also capture the vivid style of Yokoo. Lively music enhances the bright neon colors used throughout many of her music videos, such as PONPONPON. Mondai Girl uses typography and icinography, like burts bubbles, comonly seen in comincs something seen in many of Yokoo’s works. The similarities between Osuka’s, Kyary’s, and Yokoo’s works are a clear example of how influential his inventive style has become. Tadanori Yokoo’s work still lives on today by inspiring contemporary designers.
Top: Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, PONPONPON, 2011. Right: Hiromi Osuka, Bibiru, 2014.
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