5thLet's get interested in art!
They say the corona is flooding the world with money. Why, then, when economic activity is being suppressed and everyone is suffering from it? . is probably the honest response. . But this is happening because governments have been throwing money around in the form of aid and cooperation funds to stimulate the economy.
In Japan, 100,000 yen was granted to each citizen last year. For families in need, such as those who lost their jobs or had their salaries reduced due to the Corona recession, it was a rain from dry weather, but for those who are not in need, it was just one more digit of 100,000 yen in their bank books. Some people wasted it because it was money that fell from the heavens, while others left it untouched. Some have even invested it.
In addition, a loan program was instituted to support small and medium-sized businesses with declining sales, allowing them to borrow up to 200 million yen without interest and without collateral. I had never heard of such a system of borrowing money without interest, except from my parents.
Some presidents have bought luxury watches , or cars. Of course, they also bought real estate such as condominiums.
. this is the purpose of speculation. Money is made to attract those who have money. That is what capitalism is all about.
Luxury goods, luxury cars , and real estate . These are the things that are selling at this time, they say, but equally gaining momentum is the art market. Artworks from all over the world are beginning to rise in price across the board, he said.
. It does not seem that the number of art lovers has increased. . It may be that many of them are speculators. Of course, the art market had been on the upswing until then, but Corona seems to have given it another boost.
The recent "Art Fair Tokyo" held at the Tokyo International Forum was also a great success. The market for high-value art has been gaining momentum in Japan, with the former ZOZO employee Mr. Maezawa's Basquiat attracting a lot of interest, and the New Rich, who are following in his footsteps with apps and other products, have passed by sushi restaurants that are difficult to book and come to art.
Speaking of Basquiat, I still hold a grudge against my best friend who whispered in my ear that it was a fool's errand to make such a foolish and expensive purchase when I was debating whether to buy a drawing of a skull the size of a postcard at Martin Lawrence Gallery in New York about 30 years ago. . Now it is worth at least 30 times more. Abundantia, the god of investment and property protection, has always failed me.
When it comes to the world of art handled by institutions such as auction houses, ordinary people like us are out of the picture. While they are struggling to buy a car or a condominium, not many people are crazy enough to buy a piece of artwork that costs hundreds of millions of dollars. I once read an article in a magazine about a man who lived in a four-and-a-half-tatami-mat room and drove a Ferrari, but I would love to go and talk to Mark Rothko, a man who lives in a one-room apartment, if he has the guts to do so.
. However, it is a different story if one can be indifferent to art just because one is unrelated to it. I would like to define art as not only fine art, but also anything that is beautiful or pleasant to enjoy. The installations in contemporary art museums around the world are not something that can be bought or touched, but something to be seen, heard, experienced, and savored through participation. When you are immersed in the "Swimming Pool" (Leandro Erlich) at the 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa, or sipping a margherita on the patio of your favorite cafe on a pleasant evening in early summer with the wind caressing your cheeks, these are artistic ways of spending time.
Just hanging a single poster or arranging a single flower in an otherwise inorganic room can dramatically change the atmosphere of the room. This is also art.
Once the three major human needs (appetite, sleep, and sex) are satisfied, the next need arises. According to Maslow's Law, these are followed by security, social, approval, and self-actualization, but I think the next development is culture. Our ancestors, who used to pick up and eat things from the ground or bite into the prey they hunted, have evolved a cultural evolution of cooking by grinding, cutting, and roasting. Culinary techniques have evolved from smoking the carcasses of small animals over a campfire to the culinary art of today's Michelin-starred restaurants. It is now an art that can be eaten.
. I don't know why primitive people painted in the caves of Lascaux. However, I wonder if it is the genetic power that has been passed down from them that makes me want to hang something, a picture or a poster, on the white wall of my room, which is empty.
Some people may have an allergic reaction to the word "art" as being lofty or difficult to approach. . But again, art is something that creates a space or time that enriches the mind.
When there is a major disaster such as an earthquake, people often say, "Our work is so unnecessary and urgent that it is not needed by the world. We are the first industry to go out of business. Such words were exchanged when the first state of emergency was declared last year. Not only us, but anyone who works in the tertiary industry may remember this. But, on the contrary, the fact that there are so many people involved in the tertiary industry is a sign of a developed country. Culture cannot be cultivated in a place where people are so busy just eating and living.
Why is there no Steve Jobs born in Japan?
In his best-selling book, "Why Do the World's Elites Increase Their 'Aesthetic Sense'?" (written by Shu Yamaguchi, Kobunsha Shinsho), the author explains the importance of artistic thinking, not MBA, for future management. If management is conducted based on deductive reasoning, management will become commoditized, reach the same conclusions as the competition, and lose its competitive edge. In short, if you proceed based on numbers and data in marketing and other areas, you will not be superior to your competitors because they are the same. If they offer similar products and services, the only way to gain an advantage is to lower the price.
. where have we heard this story before? Japanese consumer electronics manufacturers are caught in this very spell and are being bought by foreign companies or forced to change their business.
Are there any managers in Japan who can judge things based on their intuition, sixth sense, or their own likes and dislikes? Only those who have spent the artistic time mentioned above can develop things and services with confidence. . This is probably one of the reasons why Japan has not produced a Steve Jobs or an Elon Musk.
The only people who can give good service are those who have received good service."
. in the words of Martha Stewart, a lifestyle coordinator and charismatic housewife who is no stranger to the U.S. .
I am reminded of her words every time I see a part-time worker at a convenience store with poor work arrangements , or an inflexible and condescending staff member at a luxury hotel.
Good work can only be done by those who have seen and experienced good work. . what is called learning how to do a good job. People who like tonkatsu and go to tonkatsu restaurants know the process of making tonkatsu , so they can make tonkatsu reasonably well even if they make it for the first time at home. Even if they make tonkatsu for the first time at home, they can do it reasonably well. That's what I mean.
It is difficult to become a good designer if one has never seen, studied, or studied the work of graphic designers and their work. It is like reinventing the wheel. . there is more to do than recalculating pi and proving 3.14 , there are other things to do.
. That's what it means to be interested in art.
The world is full of designed things. Not only works of art, but also the above-mentioned cuisine, architecture, interior design, fashion, and general lifestyle. We should be interested in all of these things, and learn to look at them from all angles to see why they were made, what their purpose is, and what they are trying to achieve. What are the principles of things? Starting from this point, we can see many things. I will come back to this topic in the future.
Art is more than just the bare minimum of what is necessary in human life.
PROFILE
After working as a freelance editor, he founded Lino Inc., a production company that handles editing and production, etc. In 2004, he launched HOUYHNHNM.
