For the Christmas holidays and the end of the year, I have been asked by Caterina Gualco to make a drawing that could bode well for a positive New Year, that could be used as the digital greeting card for this year from her Gallery, Unimediamodern.
I decided to carry on the subject of the current exhibition I have in Caterina’s Gallery, namely the Japanese setting and atmosphere.
With the help of a curator of the Museum of Oriental Art E. Chiossone in Genova, I collected some elements from the Japanese traditions for the New Year celebrations, and some which are just meant to bring good luck.
In a winter environment, a frog (in clothes that are reminiscent of those of a monk) is performing the susuharai: it is cleaning – with a cane on which some branches are attached – the ceiling from the soot caused by the firewood, to welcome the shinto deities of the new year. Preparations also include collecting pine branches (matsu-mukae): you can see a pine in the background. Pine branches are also needed for the Kadomatsu (literally meaning “pine of the door”), the decoration traditionally set up next to the door, in which three large bamboo canes stand out. The lantern hanging here depicts the kanji of the Ox (ushi), the animal of the zodiac of the coming year. On the frog’s dress, which is green (a quotation to Ben Patterson’s work “may the pink …” or in this case the blue “… turn into green”) you can see some turtles, which are also considered to bring good luck.
Duddu 