Reading Blog 2:

I chose to read an article on the famous contemporary artist Yayoi Kusama. I specifically read an in-depth article on one of her most famous pieces, Pumpkin (2010). Kusama is a Japanese artist focusing mainly on sculptures, paintings, and interactive exhibitions. Her pieces are very colorful and expressive and are often described as having an almost human-like character to them. Her art spans from sculpture to interactive art exhibitions. Her piece, Pumpkin, utilizes her signature art style of polka dots and her love of pumpkins. She’s been featuring squash in her artwork since 1946, “I love pumpkins because of their humorous form, warm feeling, and a human-like quality,” The pumpkin is a nod to her Japanese heritage as the specific type of pumpkin she tends to draw is popular in Japanese cuisine which she grew up eating.  Kusama has spent years mastering the shape and bumps of the pumpkin and started her squash-focused art when she first came to the US. Pumpkin represents Kusama’s childhood, fertility, and life.  Everything design that is featured in her work has meaning, she uses the polka dots in her piece Pumpkin to symbolize humans. She describes the polka dots in her artwork as tiny explosions that return people to the earth. Her work never lacks meaning and she interprets art with a very contemporary and progressive mindset.