Superflat

1. Influence

1.1. This artistic genre was started Takashi Murakami but he got inspiration from the art of his childhood, both pre and post-WWII.

1.1.1. Pop Art from the United States is also something that inspired Takashi Murakami. The work of Andy Warhol being very important to him.

2. Historical Significance (What events led up to the evolution of Superflat?

2.1. The life of Takashi Murakami is definitely a major part of this but also the reality of Japan's cultural shift after WWII made something like Superflat to be possible. A major part of Superflat is commentary on Japan's consumer culture.

2.1.1. The term was first coined in 2001 by the most important and founding figure, Takashi Murakami.

3. Future of Superflat

3.1. If you look at how important Japan is to the West you can see how Superflat will stay incredibly relevant. Especially with the advent of Non-fungible tokens.

3.1.1. Superflat will continue to be important because it is one of the only forms of art that blurs the lines between what is commercial and what is fine art.

4. How it is distinguishable from other art forms?

4.1. The hyper-flattened images with distinct colors and some works of art with very graphic or off-putting elements sprinkled in.

5. Stylistic Elements

5.1. Superflat is based upon Japanese artistic traditions of the past while also changing elements to add more color, edge, social-commentary, and overall making the choice to have images in 2D while being packed in close together.

5.1.1. While objects are flat in design, the name also comes from the fact that it plays on how Japanese and Western culture is somewhat shallow based upon the pervasive consumer culture.

6. Famous Artists

6.1. Takashi Murakami is The Godfather of the art form with other artists that have taken bits and pieces from him. Some of these include: Koji Morimoto, Chiho Aoshima, and Yoshitomo Nara.

7. What makes it a Japanese art?

7.1. Superflat is distinctly Japanese in its use of flattened out colorful designs that represent the changing of the Japanese culture into one that is more westernized or consumer focused.

8. Who has been inspired by Takashi Murakami and Superflat?

8.1. Many artists and creatives in the West have been inspired by the work of Takashi Murakami and a few examples are: Takashi 6ix9ine, Kanye West, and others.