Binding ancient folklore with modern-day thought

1. Binding ancient folklore with modern-day thought An analysis of Isamu Noguchi’s Momo Taro By Anna Guterman, Kavi Subramanian, Julia Dietz, and Sam Nordlinger

2. Isamu Noguchi • Noguchi was born in 1904 in Los Angeles to an American mother and a Japanese father, and lived in Japan until the age of thirteen, when he moved to Indiana. • His Japanese heritage is seen clearly in the title and background story of his sculpture, Momo Taro, which translates to “peach son” in Japanese. By Anna

3. Background The title, Momo Taro, evokes much thought after investigation of its meaning. “Momo”, which means peach in Japanese, clearly describes the halved peach-shaped boulder. After splitting the granite, Noguchi was reminded of the Japanese folk-tale of Momo Taro, who was born from a peach pit. The idea of the sculpture was not premeditated; only after he began the process did the meaning of the sculpture appear from the rock. By Anna

4. Noguchi was known for being an artist of stone and a born architect, so it is not a coincidence that he is also known for his geometric sculptures. Additionally, he is an accomplished furniture designer, and his pieces are still sold today as art and as functional furniture. By Sam and Anna

5. Momo Taro is a story about a boy who goes off with three friends he finds and they go on a large journey to stop the monster from being mean and stealing from the townspeople. • http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc7aYvIsPWk (link to a video telling the story of Momo Taro) By Sam

6. Second Most Interesting Detail • Momo Taro’s second most interesting detail lies in its patterned elements. • The color remains repeated and neutral, while various textures are played with throughout the sculpture. By Anna

7. The diverse textures presented in Momo Taro somewhat resemble the bite-marks in a peach, but contrary to that statement, many of the indents appear natural and not carved by Noguchi. Whether they are purposeful or not, these varying textures create an earthy and less staged form of art, which is also seen in the sculpture’s “random” placement of the boulders. By Anna

8. Interaction and Placement Isamu Noguchi’s Momotaro lays atop a hill with ample space between it and Storm King’s numerous other sculptures, beckoning one to climb the tall hill ahead and investigate its enigmatic, ruinous self. At the sculpture, the viewer is free to sit, unlike most other sculptures at a the museum. Beneath, the sprawled out landscape hosts the other pieces for your viewing pleasure. By Kavi

9. Due to lack of seating, the viewer is steered against lingering behind this piece for too long. By Kavi

10. Although there’s plenty of to sit on Momotaro, like this group did for a number of hours. By Kavi

11. However, the main instinct is to “meditate inside the sculpture reverberating with the Buddhist word Om” to the onlooker. Or so says the sculptor in reference to the humongous human sized pit in the sculpture. Sitting in the pit impresses a strong connection to the Japanese folk tale (and the sculpture’s namesake) Momotaro, a story of a buy who emerged from a gigantic peach. Free as it may seem, this sculpture affects the peruser very specifically. However, by giving the freedom to interpret it in whatever way one fancies, Noguchi avoids boxing in the viewer. By Kavi

12. Most Revealing Detail The most revealing and fascinating facet of Momo Taro is its spontaneous creation.“You can find out how to do something and then do it, or you can do something and find out what you did,” Isamu Noguchi said. Noguchi also said that after the initial splitting of the boulder, “there was nothing to do but follow the instructive and not premeditated promptings the composition came to demand,”. This mindset in his art is also seen in the choices Noguchi made in his life, and speaks to his free-flowing spirit. He went pre-med at Columbia, but made a sharp turn to becoming an artist. By Julia and Anna

13. Unlike many famous works of art, Isamu Noguchi’s Momo Taro was not premeditated at all. The idea was formed shortly after Noguchi split a giant, granite boulder. He immediately connected the shape of the boulder to an ancient Japanese folk hero who was born from a peach pit and proceeded to work as the boulder “forced its way” into the beautiful piece of art that stands today. By Julia