This blog is a response to the task based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s Novel An Artist of the Floating World., assigned by Dr. Dilip Barad sir. His blog deals with several questions charged by sir. I hope it will be useful to you.
AN ARTIST OF THE FLOATING WORLD
Author-
Sir Kazuo Ishiguro born 8 November 1954, a British novelist, screenwriter, musician, and short-story writer. He was born in Nagasaki , Japan and moved to Britain in 1960 with his parents when he was five.
His first two novels A Pale View of Hills and An Artist of the Floating World explored Japanese identity and their elegiac tone. He also wrote in other genres life historical fiction and science fiction, The Remains of the Day (Man booker prize winner), Time, Never Let Me Go are his best science fiction novels.
In 2017, the Swedish academy awarded Ishiguro the Nobel Prize in Literature, describing him in its citation as a writer "who, in novels of great emotional force, has uncovered the abyss beneath our illusory sense of connection with the world". He is also nominated for the man booker prize four times.
Novel-
The novel an Artist of the Floating world is considered to be both Fiction and global literature. This novel is set in Post World War II Japan. The chief conflict deals with Ono's need to accept responsibility for his past actions, rendered politically suspect in the context of post-War Japan. The novel has an unreliable narrator, it is narrated by old aging Masuji Ono, a painter who is looking back on his life. The narration technique of the novel is really tough, it confuses us about every situation. It takes us in flashback inside the flashback.
The novel's title is based on the literal translation of Ukiyo-e, a word referring to the Japanese art of prints. Therefore, it can be read as "a printmaker" or "an artist living in a changing world," given both Ono's limited understanding and the dramatic changes his world, Japan in the first half of the twentieth century, has undergone in his lifetime.
'Lantern' appears 34 times in the novel. Even on the cover page, the image of lanterns is displayed. What is the significance of Lantern in the novel?
Lantern is connected with the Ono’s Art teachers who involve Lantern in his every painting. Lantern words appear around 30 times in the novel. Also the cover page of the novel has the pictures of the lantern. The lanterns are not the one which can be reused or reframed, it talks about the lanterns which die once they are aflamed, they have a very short life. Mori San used to involve lanterns in his painting, he always tried to capture the lantern in specific lights. If we light a lantern in the dusk, various new colors of nature and lantern mix and are painted by Mori- Sane. This period of specific lights and colors in nature and the life of nature both have very small life, they die in no time. This easily extinguished quality shows ‘transience of beauty’ and the ‘importance of giving careful attention to small moments and details in the physical world’. It is an old-fashioned, aesthetically focused, and more traditional way of viewing the world.
Lanterns can also be read as the alternative of the fire, a symbol of destruction. When Ono started making paintings other than aesthetic delights, Mori - San took his paintings . He didn't burn the paintings but he lit up the lantern which can be read as he did so to burn the paintings. There is no direct reference to the burning of the painting but we interpret the act of Mori- San lighting the lantern as he is/ was going to burn the lantern.
Write in brief a review of the film based on the novel
An Artist of the Floating World, a Japanese movie by Kazuki Watanbe is devoted to Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel An Artist of the Floating World. The narrative technique is the novel is difficult and also problematic but the Movie has wonderfully captured it and stayed loyal to the novel. The movie has the benefit of telling a story through camera, even the silence in the movie tells something, camera without talking to viewers. Also the background music gives us the sense of happening, past to future.
There are various scenes which without dialogues say many things: in the park when Majusi Ono asks his elder daughter Setsuko about his painting there is a suspicious sound in the background which hints that someone is hiding something.
Nextly, the Camera angle: the camera captures the Ono’s painting class from a higher/ top angle which symbolizes that they are under the control of someone. And in the Takeda firm’s view we find everyone is sitting in the line which reminds us of the assembly line in the manufacturing companies.
There are also several changes in the movie. For example; there is a scene where we find Masuji Ono burning his own paintings but nothing like this is found in Novel. We even don't find a specific vision behind that scene. We interpret that scene as ono disowning his own painting and he in his mind, internally is burning his own paintings.
Movie provides better understanding, it helps us to better understand the novel and to remember the characters. And this movie of Kazuki Watanbe is most faithful to the novel.
Debate on the Uses of Art / Artist (Five perspectives: 1. Art for the sake of art - aesthetic delight, 2. Art for Earning Money / Business purpose, 3. Art for Nationalism / Imperialism - Art for the propaganda of Government Power, 4. Art for the Poor / Marxism, and 5. No need of art and artist (Masuji's father's approach)
The novel is an Artist of the floating world, the title itself talks about an Artist which suggests that the novel will talk about art. The novel is Ono's psychology, finding itself crushed by the riding tide of anti humane values rolling through pre war imperial Japan. Masuji Ono is the titular figure, an artist in the novel around whom the novel is written. He talks with a bridge of hesitation, hiding something behind every thing but at the end of the novel we actually get to know about the tragedy or the one wrong step taken by him is his field of art which he is not regretting or guilty of.
The novel moves around the art and explores the role of responsibility. The novel presents art from five different perspective:
1. Art for the sake of art - aesthetic delight
Mori- san, art teacher of Masuji Ono was a master of ukiyo- e (pictures of the floating world) which meant they painted leisure art, paintings of the higher class; and taught the same to his pupils. he believed that is an artist want to stay alive through his arts that must adapt aesthetic art. Art is for inner happiness not for moral purpose.
We find Masuji Ono sharing the views of Aristotle about art- “Art is to provide aesthetic delight, communicable expression, express emotion and represent life.”
2. Art for Earning Money / Business purpose
Art is a beautiful process which never ends. Painting is something which can be improvised a number of times whenever an artist gets a new idea. It's for the delight. But in the novel we find the firm- ‘Takeda firm’ which does the business of Japanese painting as they are in demand. They hire some young artists, give them money and task them with complete painting for a specific duration. We have also seen this scene in the movie. Artists sit in the ‘assembly line’ and keep on painting, as if machines are working and in this process the delight or the process of making the painting is not enjoyed.
3. Art for Nationalism / Imperialism - Art for the propaganda of Government Power
Ono earned a great position in government and respect too when he started making paintings for the nation/ government/ imperialism. Here we see the idea of Mori- San was right if those who want an art to stay alive forever paint aesthetic delight. If one is painting for the government what will be his condition once the government will change. He will definitely lose position but also the respect in society. Ono painted the painting for war and later everyone realized the decision of the war was wrong. Then everyone starts blaming the artist who painted for war and motivated them for war. Art for imperialism on nationalism would never give lifetime honor to the artist.
4. Art for the Poor / Marxism
Chisu Matsuda was the one who influenced ono for nationalist paintings. He took him to underdeveloped parts of the city and showed him the poor society. Ono being a good hearted decided to do something for them. Chisu influenced him that for the poor we need money and for money we need to attack. The idea of war for Ono was for the betterment of his society. If one wants to draw for the poor they must spread awareness about it through paintings but should not start adapting the things which are not correct at all.
5. No need of art and artist (Masuji's father's approach)
Ono’s father was a businessman and he used to believe that art doesn't pay for a good and leisure life. When he came to know about Ono thinking of profession as an artist he burnt his paintings and explained about the downtrodden life of artists. According to him, to live a good life one needs money which can be earned in paintings. And so he always supported ‘no need for art and artists.’
Also Plato shared the same idea, he said an artist should not be allowed in any state because they don't have any moral teaching or truth. Which was answered by Aristotle by saying, “Art is to provide aesthetic delight, communicable expression, express emotion and represent life.”. The only moral function is to please. We see this discussion has already been done in the past and people like Ono’s father share the same idea as Plato.
What is the relevance of this novel to our times?
An Artist of the Floating World deals with the various themes, it teaches importance of respect and obedience towards elders. The Novel introduces us to the theme of intergenerational conflict and distrust. The Novel is set in the after war period, the younger generation blames the older generation for this disastrous war as they were leading the country during the war. This intergenerational conflict is not only between families but between student - teachers also.
This theme of Intergenerational conflict is completely relevant in today’s society and perhaps will stay for ever as the new generation, younger life has different ways of understanding and fun which conflicts between upbringing of parents and children and grows conflict and distrust among them. Everyone wishes to live a life according to self- deception and self- perception.
This is my understanding of the novel. If you find anything to an in Relevance of the novel in present time please write in the comment box. Thank you for reading.
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