Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow, Blue and Death.

I really admire and appreciate this piece for it's uniqueness. I feel that this piece is very contemporary, yet it has a cultural aspect/twist to it (Japanese). I like this piece because there is a type of juxtaposition that is occurring and in a sense it is almost contradictory in a way. When we think of skulls, we think of death and darkness, but the skulls are juxtaposed with brighter colors. When we think of brighter colors, we think about happiness an the brighter aspects of life. To me, this piece is conveying the idea of not being afraid of death, and embracing it or at least learning how to do so. I really admire the different elements and principles presented in this piece as well, and I feel that they work really well together to create a great composition. The repetition of the skull (symbol) is crucial to creating a sense of unity. The emphasis on the skulls in the center of the piece itself also creates a focal point. The idea of repetition used in this piece also emphasizes the idea that death is never-ending, and it is constantly endured in the world. I also think it is significant that the colors used in this piece (the water color-like hues) are faded, because eventually in reality everything will die off and people and things fade away. I really like this piece, and I think it is different, but I think it works very well. 

Image derived from: Murakami, Takashi. Who's Afraid of Red, Yellow, Blue and Death. 2010. Painting. Gagosian GalleryWeb. 14 Nov 2013. <http://www.gagosian.com/artists/takashi-murakami/selected-works>.