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Influenced By: • Isamu Noguchi was the son of Leonie Gilmour, an Irish-American teacher and editor, and Yone Noguchi, a Japanese poet. The split cultures between his parents, between East and West, were partly what influenced his work. It was Isamu Noguchi's Japanese culture that gained him an appreciation for Japan's landscapes, architecture and craftsmanship. He worked with both organic and geometric forms which is what can be seen in the works of his on the right. He worked in a manner that created some what of a paradox between machine vs nature. Japanese culture fused with modern design. He challenged the boundaries of design and art, and through the influence of his Japanese and American heritage, integrated materials from these into his art. It is clear his aesthetic and taste have a strong Japanese influence, as it is evident in his fluid, zen-like pottery learned from Japanese and Chinese masters, as well as his use of materials from Japan, for instance, bamboo and washi paper. • There were many artists, people and ideas that influenced Isamu Noguchi. These artists included Constantin Brancusi, Alberto Giacometti, Hans Arp and Joan Miró. Isamu was greatly influenced by various movements including surrealism, biomorphism and abstract expressionism. All these movements are very clearly seen in his work today. One piece in particular is his most famous design, the "Noguchi table". The piece is made from a freeform sculptural base and biomorphic glass top. This clearly shows the influence these artists had on his style and taste. • While in Manhattan, he became familiarised with contemporary abstract sculpture. His interest in sculpture led him to Paris on a "Guggenheim Fellowship". It was in Paris where he met and worked with modernist sculptor, Constantin Brancusi. Constantin Brancusi was one of the founders of modern sculpture. It is said that Constantin Brancusi was Isamu Noguchi's greatest influence and that nobody had a more significant impact on his art, than he did. Brancusi taught Isamu how to use carving tools and honour his materials. Isamu Noguchi was influenced and inspired by Constantin Bransusi's reductive art forms which displayed "classical purity" and "liberated sensuality", where work is simple and has less detail. These reductive forms were clearly seen in all of his works shown on the right. He began to use abstract expressionism that allowed for mystery and emotional expressiveness. He created sculptures similar to Constantin Brancusi as shown in the pictures on the right. He used similar materials and gave the sculpture a slight machine-made look. • Above: MADAME L.R. (PORTRAIT DE MME L.R.) by Constantin Brancusi • Left: KOUROS by Isamu Noguchi • Specific Work: • Throughout his life and through artistic experimentation, Isamu Noguchi, created sculptures, gardens, furniture and lighting designs, ceramics, architecture, and set designs. • Some of the more specific work Isamu Noguchi has done include Isamu's famous "Red cube". The Red Cube uses the modernist technique of diagonal lines and geometric shape. Through the centre of the cube there is a cylindrical hole revealing an inner surface of grey. The cube uses bold colours as typically used in modernist sculpture and architecture. It also has a machine made look to it as commonly seen in modernist work. Machine made elements relate to the ideas in the Machine Age, early 20th - century. It was commonly seen in modern art and through the style of cubism. As shown clearly on the right in Isamu Nogichi's Red Cube piece. Elements also involve paints that are not natural colours, materials such as metal and things that can be mass produced. It also goes against nature so it uses very straight edges and corners. • Another famous piece of work is Isamu's "Bolt of lighting" a memorial to Ben Franklin. It was symbolic to his wants for Japanese-American rights. The sculpture does not contain many curved edges but is made up of geometric-like shapes. It is another sculpture that looks machine made. It was made for his political values and because of his want for public sculptures. • Left: RED CUBE by Isamu Noguchi • Right: BOLT OF LIGHTNING by Isamu Noguchi
Style: • Isamu Noguchi incorporated a variety of different impressions and styles into his work, which used a wide range of materials, including stainless steel, marble, cast iron, balsawood, bronze, sheet aluminum, basalt, granite, and water. Isamu Noguchi's work, known to be both subtle and bold, traditional and modern, set a new standard for the reintegration of the arts. Isamu Noguchi does not mask the material or hide its truth. He was greatly influenced by Japanese art. So his work contained biomorphic and surrealistic styles. Even though these styles are very contradictory, he used a fusion of both in his works. This is clearly seen in his "Noguchi table". A design made from a freeform sculptural base and biomorphic glass top. • Biomorphism was an art movement that began in the 20th century. It uses naturally occurring patterns or shapes similar to those in nature and living organisms. Isamu Noguchi included biomorphism in his work and incorporated geometric shapes too. • Surrealism is a movement of art and literature that began in the 1920s expressing subconscious imagery. • Philosophy: • Noguchi wrote: “It is my desire to view nature through nature’s eyes and to ignore man as an object for special veneration. There must be unthought of heights to beauty of which sculpture may be raised by this reversal of attitude.” This was Isamu Noguchi's philosophy for sculpture. He wanted his sculptures to be made with natural materials. During this era, the idea of "truth to materials" was very important. I can use Isamu Noguchi's philosophy in my design work because it is also a specification my design must follow. This will mean I will not cover or paint the materials on my furniture, or hide what they are. Isamu's philosophy describes that the materials have natural beauty, and he wishes to see his work with this natural beauty, not hidden behind what 'man' thinks would look better. Thus is what I plan to follow in my work. • Design Era: • Isamu Noguchi (1904–1988) was one of the twentieth century’s most important and well known sculptors. The 20th century era was known to be the modernist art era, even though modernist art really began in the last 19th century. • Modernist art included styles like expressionism, impressionism, formalism, cubism, surrealism, pop art, abstract expressionism. Isamu used nearly all of these styles in his work. Isamu was often worried and doubtful about his success to be considered Japanese American during the prewar era. • Impact on Society: • Isamu Noguchi had a variety of impacts on society. These impacts were caused from how he influenced other artists and movements. • He wasn't only influenced by abstract expressionism but he also influenced it too along with modern furniture design and landscape architecture. • Although Isamu Noguchi is considered to be part of the "Abstract Expressionist movement", most of His legacy is known for his modernist sculpture and art. • Isamu Noguchi has been very influential to following generations of modern artists, designers and architects. His ideas and efforts for sculptures, objects and spaces to be used in the public have been successful, and his design, sculptures and architecture can be found around the world today. • This was not the only impact he had. He played a huge impact to the ideas of Western Art vs Japan, and Eastern vs Western art. • Bibliography: • http://www.pacegallery.com • http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/episodes/isamu-noguchi/about-isamu-noguchi/675/ • http://www.noguchi.org/noguchi/biography • http://www.blueofthesky.com/publicart/works/redcube.htm
