“Mitate-Marilyn”. “Mitate” is a traditional style of Japanese Ukiyo-e and other traditional paintings.
While there is a picture of a beautiful woman in a kimono, there is in fact a hidden theme. “Mimate-Marilyn" is Marilyn Monroe painted in the style of Japanese Mimate. I know, Marilyn Monroe is an iconic woman of the 20th century. Marilyn Monroe was a Hollywood actress, but she created her own company in New York to be independent from film companies. She is a symbol not only for her image, but also for the independence of women. Therefore, I thought it was an appropriate motif for this exhibition, "Serendipity. In painting this picture, I am conscious of Marilyn Monroe's very famous pose in the movie "The Seven Year Itch”.The composition is based on Harunobu Suzuki's “Young woman in a Summer Shower”. The lines of the kimono are taken from Utamaro, as usual, though I made the deformation of the human body is based on the balance of the Taisho Era Japanese painter, Kusune Kaiosho. I tried to depict the human body in a way that the shape of the body can be clearly seen even though the figure is in kimono. The striped pattern on the kimono is “Tabane-Noshi” Noshi has been a symbol of good gifts in Japan for more than 1,000 years, and originally referred to thinly sliced shells. Kimonos with noshi patterns on them represent good luck. By overlaying Marilyn Monroe with a woman in a kimono wearing the symbol of good fortune and blowing in the wind, the work depicts the human dignity of a single woman.