Samurai Attacks Woman Analysis

Compare and Contrast Essay

The two works of art that I have chosen to compare and contrast had me worried at first. I wondered if there were enough things to compare between the two. However, after evaluating Tsukioka Yoshitoshi’s Samurai Attacks Woman and Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s self portrait, I have come to find that they share many things in common; from medium to colour, I will discuss the vast array of contrasts as well as similarities. It helps first to describe the two pieces. The first one that caught my eye while perusing through the database was Tsukioka’s, which was created during the Meiji period of Japan. It showcases the popular forms of artwork at the time. Tsuikoka used many beautiful colours alongside ink to create his masterpieces. …show more content…
He used ink as his choice of medium and followed a popular art model of the time, just as Tsukioka did. Unlike Tsukioka, who’s artwork accurately depicted the arts style of the Meiji period, Giuseppe’s work never followed the normal tendencies of the Italian Renaissance period. His self-portrait is, however, quite the deviation from his more known work, which walks a road all of its own. He toned his surrealist tendencies down to create this piece, converting to a high level of realism. This is a side of a surrealist artist, like Giuseppe, that most people do not see. Artists always have some form of basic, artistic training; Giuseppe’s fundamentals were learned during the Italian Renaissance. During this time, people admired the beauty of Grecian art. Most of the the artwork from the Italian Renaissance mirrored this affection. You would never guess that Giuseppe’s work originated from this era. It is difficult to deduce that Giuseppe’s work originated from this era. All that being said, this work of art is a very unique and successful self-portrait. It can be easily forgotten that such work is more than recreating a mirror image of a face. It can also be a representation of how the person views themselves. Giuseppe used a combination of a realistic rendering of his facial features, while instilling a sort of personality to his image. This personality is …show more content…
Both of these works of art are created with the use of ink, a medium very unforgiving and difficult to master. The two artists used this difficult medium in very unique ways that showcase their artistic backgrounds. Tsukioka plays to his Japanese culture with his lively strokes of the brush. Giuseppe tones it back to create his piece by exemplifying the popular style of the Italian Renaissance. These two genres that differ in many ways. One of these ways is the way they tell a story. During the Meiji period in Japan, they told stories through thought provoking imagery and vibrant colours. Whereas, during the Italian Renaissance they depicted religious stories with warm colours and soft features. Another way in which they differ is that the Meiji era sought to revitalize the traditional, Japanese style of art (Source 1). While the Italian Renaissance wanted to not dwell in the past. The fall of Rome brought about many dark years that were better not relived. During this time of self-reflection, the people of this era became infatuated with the artwork that came from ancient Greece (Source 2). They saw the art from this past time as enlightened; The very definition of beauty. This was the wish for the future of Italy. Thus, inspiring them to change their art direction to that of the Grecians. Tsukioka’s work is a strong representation of