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Masami Teraoka - New Views of Mt. Fuji

Masami Teraoka:

Born in 1937 in Omoroichi, Hiroshima-ken, Japan, Masami Teraoka is a contemporary artist who utilizes printmaking, watercolor, and oils to create works of art that merge traditional Japanese aesthetics with historical and contemporary American style. Taking inspiration from the traditional Japanese Ukiyo-e style of woodblock prints, Teraoka merges reality with fiction to produce often humorous commentaries on both history and the world today, typically in the form of large-scale works of art that explore and address social and political issues. He graduated with a B.A. in aesthetics from Kwansei Gakuin University in 1959 and received both a B.F.A and an M.F.A from Otis College of Art and Design in Los Angeles in 1968. 
 

New Views of Mt. Fuji:

The screenprints New Views of Mt. Fuji: Waterfall Contemplation and New Views of Mt. Fuji: Sinking Pleasure Boat are the serigraphs, or limited edition fine art prints, of completed screenprint and watercolor works by the same title. Created between 1976 and 1977, both of the completed works belong to his earlier body of artwork, and heavily utilize the traditional Japanese Ukiyo-e style that is integrated into his artistic practice. 


In contrast to the finished watercolor pieces in the New Views of Mt. Fuji series, which are comprised of brightly saturated colors that create layers of complexity and depth within the work, the 1977 limited edition prints consist solely of delicate line-work against a background of tan. Within this monochrome canvas, the lines begin to merge together and flatten, creating an expansive and intricate scenery harboring figures, text, and objects.  


The New Views of Mt. Fuji series has an undeniable connection to Thirty-Six Views of Mount Fuji, a body of work produced by famous Japanese Ukiyo-e artist Hokusai circa 1830-1832, which depicts Mount Fuji from different locations and distances, and in different seasons or weather conditions. Showcased both in choice of name and in choice of style, this connection can most notably be seen in New Views of Mt. Fuji; Sinking Pleasure Boat, in which the waves in the background of the piece mirror the recognizable Ukiyo-e aesthetic perhaps most well known internationally due to Hokusai’s The Great Wave off Kanagawa. 

Mt. Fuji is regarded as a sacred land in Japanese culture, acting as an object of worship, influencing the way that Japanese people view nature, and symbolizing purity, perseverance, eternity, meditation, and spiritual enlightenment. This is why Mt. Fuji was such a popular subject within art, particularly in the 19th century, and why it had an impact not only on Japanese culture, but on western culture and artists as well. This reach of influence also connects back to Teraoka’s practice of mixing Japanese and western culture and styles, perhaps best seen in McDonald’s Hamburgers Invading Japan/Tattooed Woman and Geisha or the series 31 Flavors Invading Japan. However, Teraoka brings into practice the use of risqué humor, described as having “ribald imagery and pop art sensibility”. In this way, a contrast is brought between the traditional depictions of Mt. Fuji as a sacred land and the New Views of Mt. Fuji series, particularly in the case of The Sinking Pleasure Boat, in which Teraoka integrates a level of perversion into the scene.

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