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AUTHENTICATING ART

discussion questions for Monday, September 15, 2003

All stories are on e-reserve under Japanese 133: "Tattooer," "Hell Screen" & "Autumn Mountain"

Introduction to the stories for this class session:
All stories were written in Japan in the early 20th century, though their settings evoke much earlier times.  "The Tattooer" was written by TANIZAKI Jun'ichirô.  "The Hell Screen" and "Autumn Mountain" were written by AKUTAGAWA Ryûnosuke.  Each  story raises questions about the process of creating and appreciating art.  They also comment on the desire to possess and consume, and even the desire to be consumed by, art.  Humor, sexuality, ideas of the sacred and profane all figure here.  These are the themes which we will use in talking about these stories.  Here's some ideas to get you started in preparing for this class session.  You can copy this page as a Word document or copy it and make your own webpage with the answers.
 

Warm-up Exercises--Setting the Mood, Experiencing Reading:

  • What's the drink to sip as you read these stories?
  • What's the music in the background?
  • Thinking of the story that made the most impression on you, which scene in what movie does it evoke?
  • If you wanted to describe your reaction to one of these stories non-verbally by referring to a famous painting, which one would you choose?  (You can probably find it on the web and paste it here).
              ****Browse the modern art collection at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York
Authenticating Art:
All these stories raise questions about the creation and consumption of art.  They make readers think about art  equally in terms of its potential authenticity and artificiality, blurring the lines that would make us think in either/or terms.  Thinking of "Autumn Mountain," for example, what is at stake in trying to find the original painting?  Does it even exist? If so, where?