Page 42. Connect to the Topic. Part B. TUNE IN

Unit five

page 42

connect to the topic

part B: tune in

today we’re talking with Michiko Fuji, an art historian; and she’s here to talk about the modern artist Kazuo Shraga.

welcome Ms. Fuji.

thank you; thank you for the invitation.

can you tell us a little about the background of Kazuo Shraga?

yes Shraga was a painter who belonged to the Goo-tie group.

Goo-tie?

Yes; Goo-tie is a Japanese word.

it means “using the body”.

this was a group of artists that was founded in 1954 in Japan.

Goo-tie artists wanted to make art that was totally new and different from the Japanese art of the past.

So, what was new about their approach?

almost everything!

for one thing, they used a lot of different materials to make their art.

Paint, plastic, mud, wood.

they even used every day items like glass bottles and balloons.

they also used film, light and sound.

Interesting.

Yes; this was very unusual in Japan at the time.

they wanted to try new techniques to express their ideas and feelings.

for Goo-tie artists the process of making a piece of art, I am saying how it was made, was very important to its meaning.

I see; so tell us some more about Shraga, what is he known for?

Shraga became famous as the foot painter; because he painted using his feet.

his feet?

Yes, he wanted to show movement and action in his art.

so he painted by moving his whole body.

he hung a rope from the ceiling and then he swung from the rope and applied the paint to a canvas on the floor, with his feet and toes.

that’s amazing!

I can’t imagine how much energy…