Kayleigh Bosley
Arts 335 Survey-II
Dr. Magnusen
November 30, 2014
Van Gogh, Samurai Champloo, and Japonisme Vincent Van Gogh is arguably one of the most recognizable artists of all time. His use of color and his distinct brushstrokes make him easily recognizable across the globe. Some of his more famous works come from a series of sunflower paintings, most of which were done at Arles (“The Paintings: Sunflowers”). In today’s world, it is not uncommon for famous works of art to be appropriated into modern works be it music, video, photography, or another painting. The Japanese animated series Samurai Champloo incorporates Van Gogh’s sunflower series into its own timeline (Samurai Champloo). Supported by Van Gogh’s love for Japanese art and…show more content… It comes in many forms and targets a wide variety of artistic movements. By appropriating Van Gogh’s sunflower series, I believe that Samurai Champloo is doing a good job of helping spread artistic knowledge and recognition, and to help promote interest in the arts. Samurai Champloo, while not appropriate for children in my opinion, definitely targets a younger audience that may not be inclined to learn about the art world. Artistic appropriation is a great way to refresh older pieces of art and keep them relevant for younger generations. Hopefully most people would be able to separate fact from fiction in this case. Samurai Champloo does not appropriate any of Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings in particular, and instead appropriates the intent and purpose behind the entire series of sunflower paintings. In the intro of the episode, various snips of sunflowers from Van Gogh’s paintings are displayed, but a full single image is never shown (Samurai…show more content… Samurai Champloo interweaves its cast throughout history, and ties them directly to our known world by providing that Fuu, the main character, is the source for some of the greatest and well-known paintings in the history of the world. Vincent Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings, with their bold colors and organic feeling, remain iconic and recognizable and help assert his place as one of the greatest post impressionist artists. It’s hard to say if Van Gogh would have been amused by this appropriation or not, but I would like to think that he would have appreciated