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| Volume 11, No. 43 |
July 28-3, 2010 |
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| JAPAN/AMERCA
Museum talk delves into history of anime, manga | | By Leonard Martinez | | 
The influence was unmistakable.
Polly Perez looked at the portfolios of some students and it was obvious anime, the Japanese style of animation, had quite an influence on their work.
“But they didn’t know the origins of anime,” said Perez, assistant curator of education at the El Paso Museum of Art. “They were under the impression that it was an American style. “I talked to a few of the students and said, ‘Well, you know the origins for this are Japanese?’ And they did not know that. The commercial aspect has way outweighed any relevance in history and less in art history.”
Perez will join Dr. Stacy Schultz, Assistant Professor of Art History at UTEP, to give a special presentation “japAN/AMerica: Anime, Manga, and Art,” Thursday evening at the El Paso Museum of Art’s Energy Auditorium.
The modern version of manga, the comics and print cartoons of the anime genre, date back to WWII, while the overall history of manga can be traced back to the 12th century.
“If people couldn’t read the kanji (Japanese pictogram alphabet), then they would draw what they needed to say with pictures,” Perez said. “The pictures were drawn in sequence, telling the stories that were spiritually based.”
By the late 1700s and early 1800s, manga was being bound in books, with most of the storylines having to do with the supernatural influencing common life, Perez said.
Anime and manga have evolved from historical, sociocultural relevance in Japan to pop-culture phenomenon.
“This movement is coming from artists who are either Asian American or who have experienced early exposure with Western culture,” Schultz said. “Mariko Mori’s former life as a fashion model in Japan and as an art student in England transformed the way she saw Japan. It is that interior and exterior exposure that is key. Murakami’s traditional art education, exposure to American popular culture in Japan, and intellectual interest in how Japan is evolving politically, economically and socially are the driving forces behind his art and image.”
Since WWII, anime and manga have become exports that are popular around the world.
“This has been a lengthy and multi-faceted process involving cross-fertilization between Europe, primarily England, and the United States since the late 1970s,” Schultz said. “As Disney, Nickelodeon, and Cartoon Network evolved, so did Japan’s contemporary fascination with the West and all things ‘American.’ In general, younger Americans are much more open to things that seem unusual or foreign, but are also drawn to all things fun and fast-paced. This is the direct result of television, movies, video games and the Internet.”
Young people have a particular fascination with anime and manga that Perez believes goes deeper than just liking animation and cartoons.
“My own theory is that it touches on children or young people being in a hero position or being in a position to have special powers, real or supernatural,” Perez said. “It was a new concept in the West. Usually adults did everything. Also, anime and manga have an underlying spiritual component that fits in with something that’s missing, that void or absence, in Americans.”
Perez said Americans bringing their own cultures to anime and manga will keep it evolving.
“The future of anime and manga is in America,” Perez said.
For further insights from Perez and Dr. Schultz on the subject, visit the talk on Thursday.
JAPAN/AMERICA:
Anime, Manga, and Art
El Paso Museum of Art Energy Auditorium
1 Civic Center Plaza
Thursday, Nov. 19 – 6:30–8 p.m.
FREE
For info call (915) 532-1707 ext. 23
Comments or questions about this story? E-mail Secret@whatsuppub.com
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