Kazuo Shiraga  Japanese, b. 1924 Untitled 1959 oil on canvas 70 7⁄8 x 110 in. Collection Walker Art Center, Minneapolis T. B. Walker Acquisition Fund, 1998 ABOUT THE ARTIST Kazuo Shiraga was born in Japan in 1924, and reached adulthood in the aftermath of World War II. Trained in traditional Japanese painting at the Kyoto City Specialist School of the Arts, he soon began to experiment with Western styles. In 1952, Shiraga joined other local artists in forming the Zero-kai group, which held the belief that every work of art begins from nothing. He later became a member of the Gutai Art Association. Established in the summer of 1954, it sought to create a new art “never known until now.” Gutai, which means “embodiment,” has similarities to the Action Painting practiced in New York in the 1950s, but is uniquely influenced by its own time and place. Coming out of Japan’s surrender in World War II, Gutai artists desired an art form free of social criticism or political implication, and believed in the interaction of the body with materials. Its first exhibition was in 1955 and featured a performance wherein Shiraga dove into a pile of mud and wrestled, kicked, and thrashed the clay mound into an artwork sculpted by physical action. ABOUT THE ART When Shiraga discarded his brush and palette knife and began working with his feet, it was a breakthrough for the Gutai, just as Jackson Pollack’s drip paintings were a revelation for the Abstract Expressionists in the West. In this untitled painting, Shiraga used his bare feet to apply paint onto a piece of canvas on the floor. Grasping a hanging rope, he dipped and swung himself through the thick, wet, oil paint. The finished work depicts his random spins, swirls, and slips. DISCUSSION 1. Shiraga’s painting method has been referred to as a form of “writing.” How do you relate tagging, graffiti, or even everyday penmanship to the sorts of gestures Shiraga made in this work?  2a. How does Shiraga’s method reflect a rejection of the old ways of painting? 2b. What was happening in Japan during the 1950s when this artwork was created? 2c. In what ways is the social climate of the times reflected in this work? 3. Shiraga used sweeping gestures to create a sense of movement. What does the quote by the artist tell you about his work? “Technique will change to free and wild action, and it ignites my passion. Passion turns into action, and it fills my flaming heart.” —Kazuo Shiraga

This tour presents an overview of four major art movements of the past 60 years. This activity could be used in the Walker Art Center galleries, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, or in the classroom with a selection of images from Art Collector. The artworks included in the activity are suggestions only and instructors may choose different artworks to accompany the discussion questions. This activity is from the Living in Our Time section of the Tour Guide Tool Kit.

Living in Our Time Activity Title: Challenge and Change in the Art World Theme: Challenge and Change in the Art World Age: Grades 9–Adult Overview: This tour presents an overview of four major art movements of the past 60 years. This activity could be used in the Walker Art Center galleries, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, or in the classroom with a selection of images from Art Collector. The artworks included in the activity are suggestions only and instructors may choose different artworks to accompany the discussion questions. Procedure: Setting the Scene Our society is in a state of constant flux, and artists and art movements react to and reflect that change. Art movements reflect society by responding to events, ideas, new technology, new materials, and trends. Today’s tour will examine four art movements of the last 60 years--Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art, Minimalism, and Fluxus--and explore how they developed in response to what was happening in the world. Begin Looking Before discussing each movement in depth, take the group to several examples of works of art from that movement. Have the group to compare and contrast the works, and ask them questions to encourage close examination. Suggested questions for each movement are listed below. Abstract Expressionism Looking at work that could be called Abstract Expressionist, ask:  What was happening in society around the time that these works were made? How do you think artists might have dealt with the horrors of World War II in their artwork? What kind of emotions or feelings do you get from each of these works? Many artists at this time were interested in the element of chance and also personal expression.  Where can you find traces of those ideas in this work? During World War II, many European artists lived in New York City, where they met, befriended, and influenced a group of young American artists who would gain international fame as Abstract Expressionists. This would lead to a transfer of the center of the art world from Europe to New York. As a reaction to realism, and to World War II and its atrocities, these artists zeroed in on their innermost feelings, often using free association, automatic writing, dreams, and the element of chance. Their work was, for the most part, nonrepresentational and deeply personal, and provided a way for them to deal with their angst over the horror of war and a changing world. Show and discuss examples of Abstract Expressionism with the group. As Abstract Expressionism became a familiar form of artistic expression, two new art movements emerged as a reaction against it: Pop Art and minimalism. Pop Art Have participants examine some examples of Pop Art. Compare some of these artworks to some that we just looked at. How are they different? What kinds of things changed in American society from the 1940s to the 1960s? How does this work reflect that? Reacting to the emotionalism of Abstract Expressionism, Pop Art honored and glorified postwar consumerism. Instead of focusing on feelings, Pop Art highlighted the popular elements of our rapidly growing consumer culture. Pop Art was unemotional, straightforward, and easy to interpret. It was based on elements of advertising, television, food, fashion, celebrities, and world leaders. Let’s look at some Pop artists and compare their subject matter, style, and technique. Minimalism Now let’s explore the other art movement that developed as a reaction to Abstract Expressionism: Minimalism. What does this work share with the Pop Art that we viewed? How is it different? How do you think this work reflects the 1960s in the United States? Spearheaded by the writings of Donald Judd, Minimalism pared down art to its basic form. It was about shape, line, color, and material. Even more basic, Minimalism was about the value of an idea. With the postwar development of new industrial companies, the actual construction of the art pieces was frequently done by fabricators. They specialized in the artist’s chosen material and helped construct the work according to the artist’s plans and diagrams. Fluxus Another art movement with a different focus was Fluxus. How is this work unlike art you’re used to seeing? What kind of statement do you think these artists were trying to make? Reacting against art as an elitist commodity, and against museums as separating art from life, Fluxus tried to merge art and everyday life. Fluxus was strong on performances and written material, and on art that was inexpensive and not precious. Fluxus was art that made people think, smile, and connect. Conclusion Today we’ve discussed some artists and art movements that have made an important impact on modern art. On a future visit to the Walker Art Center, which of the movements would you like to spend more time exploring? Which work that you saw today would you tell a friend about? What work would you like to take back to school? All of these movements reflect their time, but they’re still relevant for many artists today. Which movement still seems the most relevant to you today? How do you think today’s artists might be influenced by movements such as Abstract Expressionism and Pop Art? Props: Tell the group that other artists and movements have challenged and changed the art world. Some examples: •    Marcel Duchamp attacked established values, raised questions about the definition of art, and greatly influenced generations of artists. •    Joseph Beuys was an artist, performance artist, teacher, and philosopher. •    Vienna Actionists, such as Otto Muehl and Hermann Nitsch, challenged the art establishment through shocking, sexually oriented performances. •    Gutai, a reactionary art movement in Japan, was strong on performance and included artists Kazuo Shiraga and Atsuko Tanaka. •    Arte Povera, an art movement in Italy, reacted against precious materials and included artists Piero Manzoni, Lucio Fontana, Giovanni Anselmo, Alighiero Boetti, Luciano Fabro, Mario Merz, Marisa Merz, and Giulio Paolini.

Participants look closely at artworks to complete a scavenger hunt that involves finding specific works based on clues. This activity could be used in the Walker Art Center galleries, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, or in the classroom with a selection of images from Art Collector. The artworks included in the activity are suggestions only and instructors may choose different artworks to accompany the discussion questions. This activity  is from the Living in Our Time section of the Tour Guide Tool Kit.

Living in Our Time Activity Title: Portrait Scavenger Hunt Theme: Who Am I? Age: Grades 3–6 Overview: Participants look closely at artworks to complete a scavenger hunt that involves finding specific works based on clues. This activity could be used in the Walker Art Center galleries, Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, or in the classroom with a selection of images from Art Collector. The artworks included in the activity are suggestions only and instructors may choose different artworks to accompany the discussion questions. Procedure: Setting the Scene Today we are going on a scavenger hunt. I will give you clues about works of art, and you must work together to find the correct artwork. The main clue is that all of the artworks are portraits. What is a portrait? Some of these portraits may surprise you! To find the correct pieces, you must read the clues carefully and look closely. Begin Looking Divide the group into teams of three or four. With younger participants, send each group with a chaperone, or do the hunt together as a larger group. Distribute one copy of the scavenger hunt, along with a clipboard and a pencil, to each team. Tell them that they have 10 minutes to try to find the works of art. When they find one, they should write down the artist’s name and the title of the work. After 10 minutes, the group will come back together. Give the participants some rules for the hunt (for example, no running). Ask a teacher or chaperone to help keep an eye on the teams. Clue # 1: You might think I enlarged a photograph of myself to make this self-portrait. Clue #2: People often think this painting has olives in it. Stand back and I will emerge. Clue #3: An artist made my image from magazine photographs of me. Clue #4: This work, which includes a glass and a spoon, was created to honor the artist Marcel Duchamp and his wife, Teeny. Clue #5: This work is a portrait of my brother, Diego. Clue #6: You can see traces of the artist’s handprints and footprints in this thickly painted canvas. Answers: #1. Chuck Close Big Self-Portrait  1968 #2. Chuck Close Kiki  1993 #3. Andy Warhol 16 Jackies  1964 #4. Robert Rauschenberg Trophy II (for Teeny and Marcel Duchamp)  1960 #5. Alberto Giacometti Buste de Diego  circa 1954 #6. Kazuo Shiraga Untitled  1959 Conclusion Once the group has completed the hunt, go together to each work and ask: Why do you think this work of art could be called a portrait? Which work fits most into the traditional idea of a portrait (like a school portrait)? The least? Props: Cards with only one clue on each one Pencils Clipboards