Yayoi Kusama
Yayoi Kusama, Beyond the End of the Century, 1987
Acrylic on canvas, 162 cm x 130 cm Beyond the End of the Century is an abstract work whose subject matter consists of red circles of varying sizes, each with a red line trailing behind it as though it has a tail. These are set against a plain white background. Kusama’s use of line implies the movement of the red figures: the “tails” trailing behind each red circle have an organic and fluid shape, making it seem as though the circular forms are swimming within the white background. Likewise, the circular forms have an organic shape, as they are not perfect circles--they look more like they have come from, or could be in, the physical world.
This piece consists of only two hues: a vibrant, intense red and a low-intensity white. The vibrant red contrasts with the somewhat dull white background, making the red forms seem to pop off of the canvas and into the physical world.
The red forms accumulate in different concentrations on different areas of the canvas, making the piece appear darker where there are more red forms and lighter where there are less. The piece has …show more content…
The lines that make up the “net” are not uniform--they curve as though they are resting atop a gentle ocean, and they become lighter and almost disappear into the background in some areas. The background is made up of dark grey and black organic shapes against a lighter gray background. No two of these shapes are they same--some become lighter and fade into the light-grey background; some are larger areas of dark that allow lighter areas of the background to show through; some are dark, thick lines that break in areas and continue further into the canvas. In some areas--particularly the lower right area of the piece--there are no dark forms; in fact, the dark, netted lines disappear into this area of
Yayoi Kusama, Beyond the End of the Century, 1987
Acrylic on canvas, 162 cm x 130 cm Beyond the End of the Century is an abstract work whose subject matter consists of red circles of varying sizes, each with a red line trailing behind it as though it has a tail. These are set against a plain white background. Kusama’s use of line implies the movement of the red figures: the “tails” trailing behind each red circle have an organic and fluid shape, making it seem as though the circular forms are swimming within the white background. Likewise, the circular forms have an organic shape, as they are not perfect circles--they look more like they have come from, or could be in, the physical world.
This piece consists of only two hues: a vibrant, intense red and a low-intensity white. The vibrant red contrasts with the somewhat dull white background, making the red forms seem to pop off of the canvas and into the physical world.
The red forms accumulate in different concentrations on different areas of the canvas, making the piece appear darker where there are more red forms and lighter where there are less. The piece has …show more content…
The lines that make up the “net” are not uniform--they curve as though they are resting atop a gentle ocean, and they become lighter and almost disappear into the background in some areas. The background is made up of dark grey and black organic shapes against a lighter gray background. No two of these shapes are they same--some become lighter and fade into the light-grey background; some are larger areas of dark that allow lighter areas of the background to show through; some are dark, thick lines that break in areas and continue further into the canvas. In some areas--particularly the lower right area of the piece--there are no dark forms; in fact, the dark, netted lines disappear into this area of