 |  | | |  | | | 
| | |
Those who live in Japan have been exposed to art mainly through the mass media. Art is mediated, distributed and consumed via magazines, newspapers,television programs, and books on paintings, posters and calendars. In the process, it has been said, art is influenced by society, which produces "images of art" that reflect the times. The images of art have always been a conduit for messages from society or the economy, but the art world defines its creations as "pure" ("fine art") and considers the secular images to be simply "shadows" of reality. However, these "images of art" are indeed art in themselves, and these are inseparable; we do not need to listen to the situationists to know this.
| | |
Due to its nature, the "image of art" is often presented as a part of one's lifestyle. Going to a museum or gallery with the family and dining at a restaurant afterwards was once considered a classy holiday activity for someone with a stable income and high education. This is because the media presented such activities as attractive. It was also very popular in Japan to hang copies of paintings by noted artists on the walls of studio apartments. This was said to have been influenced by a popular television drama.
| | |
These images of art used to be an indispensable part of a "positive and rich lifestyle" and their ownership subsequently served as a symbol of high social status. The upswing of the economy pushed such tendencies, and art became the subject of investment, armed with values that would never decline --- just like land. Individual and corporate investors with discretionary funds vied for art. Prices in the art market soared, breaking all records, and began to influence the prices of prints, which were only a secondary commodity. This happened because the volume of the existing art objects was too small for the market. Many art pieces rose in price to alevel beyond the reach of individual and corporate investors, and ended up in the hands of local governments. Museums mushroomed and this, in a way,marked the culmination of the image-driven modern art system in which the value of art depended solely on its price. All the auras that art once carried were converted into dollars and yen --- and now we evaluate art by the price tags attached.
| | |
The collapse of the economy, however, shook the modern system of art.Individual and corporate investors were hit, but it was the images of art that were hit the hardest. Across the board the prices of art plummeted and art turned into non-performing loans. We witnessed the only aura of art,its prices, taking a nosedive, and turning it into a nuisance. Going to museums and galleries on weekends and owning art ceased to be attractive,and were even tinted with a negative connotation. Let's look at some examples of the images that are familiar to us when we think about art today.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
