The art of becoming a Geisha

In my opinion this video or rather the film itself represents one of Japans oldest traditions, the Geisha. In it they say :"To be a Geisha is to be judged as a moving piece of art".
The reason I specifically chose this clip is because the audience sees how Chiyo's journey has changed her from being a maid in a house to becoming one of the most successful Geisha in her region. Geisha are entertainers who serve their customers to the best of their abilities through pouring them sake, singing, dancing, playing a string instrument or simply keeping them company. The art of becoming a Geisha originally came from the pleasure quarters of Japan were prostitution was sold. However, over the years men started to come for more than just sex and were instead interested in being entertained by the women who worked there. Soon many women were trained to become Geisha, women who purely worked to entertain people.
This Japanese art purely focuses on attaining beauty and to be purely beautiful in body and soul. In the film they mention :" Agony and Beauty live side by side for a Geisha". This phrase intrigued me because do we have to suffer to attain beauty? It is true, however, that after all the hard and torturous training, the Geisha girls personified grace, beauty and strength.

Myth and Identity

 

These are a series of pictures I drew based on a Japanese myth which says that in ancient times demons used to 'lend' their hearts to humans in order to let them live longer. This was seen as a form of entertainment for the  demons, however, after 16 years have past, they must eat the human who borrowed their heart because after 16 years, the demons slowly start to lose their sanity. The humans with demon hearts have a flower mark on their skin just above the heart, this mark is the same as the demons who will eventually come to take their heart back.

In the pictures the demon falls in love with the girl who possesses his heart. I mainly colouring pencils to draw the characters to make them stand out, however, I used pastels to draw the background because you have more freedom with pastels and it makes the background look slightly chaotic and rough. This is fitting for the image and the storyline because it's only natural and inevitable that this couple is going to face some serious problems. I was a lot rougher with the pastels in the second picture because it shows how the demon is torn between being in love with a human and following his demonic instincts which is to eat her and the heart. The colours here are a lot darker and he does look like he's fading into darkness as he loses sight of who he really is. The dark colours help to add an element of confusion and sadness since whatever decision he makes will end in him losing something precious to him. the two faces in either side of his are both his human and demonic personality. The demon has a cold and collected look in his eyes since he doesn't need or feel human emotions. The human side of him is crying tears of blood because that might be the price he must pay to keep his demonic personality; the blood of the girl he loves.

I enjoy drawing pictures like this because they help me explore and (to some extent) understand human nature a bit more.

The World in my hands/ The weight of the World

 

This drawing was inspired by the Greek Myth were the Titan Atlas was punished by Zeus to carry the world or heavens on his shoulders for eternity. This drawing can be read in two ways. Firstly it could represent hope. No one can control our destiny or fate, we are the ones who decide our lives for ourselves. Yesterday is in the past and that can never be altered, however there is always a tomorrow and the future is constantly changing depending on our decisions. Isn't it interesting to think of it as 'the world is in our hands'? The second way to read this picture is that most of the time we carry 'the weight of the world' on our shoulders. I'm always worrying about one thing after the other whether it's about money, family, friends or the future, there's always something to worry about or some problem to overcome. However, it only when we encounter problems, worry about them, cry or laugh about them and eventually solve them that we can truly say that we are alive and living our lives. We make mistakes, learn from them and eventually teach the younger generations not to repeat the same mistakes. Perhaps the weight of the world or life is a heavy burden to carry but at the end of the day it's worth it since all hard work is rewarded one day.

The girl who is carrying the world is actually Sailor Moon from the Japanese anime. It is a bit random but the picture was originally going to be a painting of her. I didn't colour her in because I wanted my audience to mainly focus on the world and the fact that she's simply carrying it in her hands. I also think it adds a gentle and perhaps even a positive feeling to the drawing.

Chained

This picture is something I drew for my Visual Literacy Diary. It was drawn under the heading religion. Sometimes religion can suffocate me because Asian/Sikh families pride themselves on what they look like to the outside world. Whether it's about appearances, responsibilities, manners or reputation, we must always seek to look our best. For this painting I used colouring pencils and a gray wax crayon. The reason for this is that you can control your movements better with pencils and the crayon gives the chains an element of weight because it can be hard drawing with them. I made sure not to draw a face for the girl because I thought that there must be million of other girls who feel exactly like me. The position of the chains add some symmetry to the drawing which created a controlled and trapped atmosphere. I also used a light background to make the chains stand out even more so that the viewers truly get the feeling of being trapped. This is one of my favourite drawings because it does convey some of the negative feelings that come with being weighed down with responsibilities.

Semiotics - Inception (2010)

Once again Christopher Nolan has managed to create a film that makes us question the human mind. Inception is similar to Momentum because it makes the audience pay closer attention since the storyline doesn't follow the traditional beginning, middle and end. It also doesn't follows Todorov's equilibrium theory in which he says: 'An “ideal” narrative begins with a stable situation which is disturbed by some power or force. There results a state of disequilibrium; by the action of a force directed in the opposite direction, the equilibrium is re-established; the second equilibrium is similar to the first, but the two are never identical.’ 

However, even though Inception is similar with momentum, they are very different. One reason for this is that Nolan eases or guides the audience into the story instead of plunging them straight into it like he did with the Momentum. He does this by using a familiar plot line. The protagonist is a wanted man wrongly accused of his wife's murder now he must assemble a group of people who will help him in his journey to extract a CEO's top secret information. However, he is continuously haunted by the memories of his wife and thus fails or gets distracted at the most important times. 

Another difference, is the fact that the audience is allowed to identify with the main character, Cobb. the viewers can see that he is having extreme difficulty moving on from his wife's death and to some extent he even blames himself for it. By doing this, Nolan makes the audience hope for his success and to finally see his reuniting with his children who's faces he cannot remember. Here Nolan targets the audiences' maternal, caring and soft side.

However, the third and perhaps the most noticeable difference is the fact that semiotics play a much more important role in the film than before. The main signifier in the movie is Cobb's 'anchor' a solif object which links him to the real world. In his case the anchor is a small spinning top. It used to belong to his deceased wife and it could signify his guilt or perhaps even his regeret at ever introducing her to the world of extractions. 

I personally really enjoyed this film and the idea that dreams are places where you store your ideas and deepest secrets. Even though the story was easier to follow than people said, it was still interesting and presented a new way in which to view dreams. Nolan managed to create not only a new concept of entering someone's subconscious but he also created a new world.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

This is a novel I studied for my English Literature A Level. I must admit that my first impression of it was that it would be completely boring. My prediction was right for the first few chapters, however, what followed was that Martel took his readers on an unforgettable journey.

This coming-of-age novel follows Pi, a young boy, as he struggles to survive 227 days at sea with a Bengal tiger as a companion. This novel explores religion, identity, spirituality and relationships between humans and animals. The thing that made this novel so interesting was not only the way it was written but also the way it was structured. The reader is introduced to three versions of Pi. The first being the adult and grown up version of Pi who graduated from university but also started his own family. He is the overall narrator of the story. Secondly, we are introduced to the Pi who lived in Pondicherry, India before he moved to Canada. During this period, Indira Gandhi declared a state of emergency on India which meant that citizens practically lost their rights. Here we learn that Pi has dedicated his life to three different religions and he also loves science which is interesting since religion and science are polar opposites. Finally, we are introduced to the Pi who is stranded at sea with Richard Parker (the tiger) and other animals who end up killing each other.


The way in which this book is written makes the readers believe that it is an autobiography, when in reality it is nothing more than a fantasy adventure novel. Throughout the novel or journey, the readers continuously question Pi's mentality as he stumbles across an island that eats humans and is inhabited by meerkats. Martel makes the readers truly appreciate the luxuries that they might be surrounded by because, even though we know that this is nothing more than a story, the way it is written in makes the reader forget what reality is.
However, the most amazing part of the whole novel is the ending. Martel allows the reader to choose between two different endings. He allows the reader to either choose reality or insanity which ultimately allowed Pi to survive. I chose the latter because the way the author wrote the novel made it so realistic and he planned and explained the ways Pi survived so clearly that it made the reader believe that it would actually be possible to survive on a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. I recommend this book to anyone who loves reading because it truly does take the reader on a journey that questions our beliefs and views of religion and belief. It questions reality and sanity.

The Persistence of Memory by Salvador Dali

This is one of those paintings that you see everywhere, whether it's in films or cartoons. My first impression of it was that it was slightly intimidating and that it really emphasises the passing of time. Dali made sure to use dull yet slightly bright colours. 'The persistence of memory' is an interesting name to give this painting because the way the pocket watches are melting just conveys the message that time passes by slowly yet quickly at the same time. It also made me realise that the time in our memory is eternal/immortal and never ending. Our special and most precious moments in life are forever frozen in time in our memories. In my opinion, Dali makes time seem meaningless in this painting. Time is something that every human being doesn't have enough of; it is fleeting. However, this painting is gives off a laid back and, perhaps, even sluggish feeling as if to say: 'I have enough time to waste, so why not kick back and relax' and this is precisely why this painting is one of my favourites, because it makes its readers feel calm and it allows us to simply forget about the time for a while. It allows us a sense of escapism.