Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Assignment 2: "Visualizing Cultures" image analysis

Source

This is a woodblock titled " Picture of Foreigners Enjoying a Banquet" by Yoshikazu in December 1860.  This picture denotes a young Japanese girl dancing in front of a bunch of Caucasian men, women, and children.  The girl is dressed in what appears to be western clothing.  The banquet is held in a very western looking room, but outside the window a Japanese style building as well as a couple ships can be seen.  One of the masts hold an American flag.  The woodblock is painted in an East Asian style.  

The image depicts how the Japanese girl, who looks very different compared to the sea of Caucasians, is trying her best to accommodate to the guests by dressing in a similar manner.  However, the group of foreigners seem less than happy to be there and look very uncomfortable to watch the little girl.  Particularly, the two men on the left corner.  Another little girl on the left side of the picture is observing her very carefully, with her arms crossed and one hand on her chin.  The man on the right side is looking of to the side, where possibly there might be other performances of showcases being held for the foreigners.  All the people there seem to be observing the fascinating sight very carefully, not really enjoying the whole environment.  In fact, there are some people in the background grimacing.  The overall picture gives a very stiff, staged feeling.  

The inside of the room appears very uncomfortable and the colors are all in general pretty neutral or warm, so our eyes as the viewer drift towards the blueness of the window, where there is water flowing freely with a boat floating on it.  The sign in this picture is the dancing girl and she seems to signify Japan trying to interact with America by making it more comfortable for them by dressing similarly.  The overall picture illustrates two different worlds coming together in a really awkward situation.
Posted by at

4 comments:

  1. Emily ShortJanuary 30, 2012 at 6:15 PM

    I really like how you were able to connect the dancing Japanese girl with Japan's efforts to incorporate the foreigners. I also think that since this is from a Japanese perspective, you can see through the foreigners faces how the Japanese perceive themselves to be looked upon. I also like how you identified awkwardness on both sides, as neither culture seemed to know how exactly to deal with the other.
    (Also, sorry for the late comments!)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HelenJanuary 30, 2012 at 10:31 PM

      Thanks for the comment and no problem, it's all good!! :)

      Delete
  2. Eli KinegFebruary 2, 2012 at 9:48 AM

    Ha! I loved that you caught the two men conversing to the left, that's hilarious. We've seen many different examples of this rigid integration of east and west. This may be a poor summary, but from what I've seen, the symbols that are used to show this are often based around use of color or appearance. This picture manages the same task but shows the social side of things. Good find!

    P.S. I like your font, it's pretty neat. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. HelenFebruary 5, 2012 at 6:49 PM

      Yeah, that's a good point! Thanks for the comment and noticing my font :]

      Delete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)