Two weeks ago, I posted a thread analyzing anime art. Some anons suggested I expand my ideas into a blog post. Here's an excerpt:
It is quite clear that anime art could not exist without the cultural inertia of Modernism and Postmodernism. To see this, one need only point to the overt sexuality present in much anime art. This phenomenon, even during fairly radical periods in art history, would have been met with shock and scorn. Nudity in pre-Modern art is used to portray humanity in a state of nature or sanctity. Where previously, such elements of pure eroticism may have been hidden in symbolism, hinted at subtly or displayed "tastefully", anime art is liberated from this convention and expresses sexual themes literally and explicitly, without reservation or shame.
These pieces of art both depict a young girl on the cusp of pubescence, straddling between youthful innocence and adolescent sexuality. Bouguereau's painting is very reserved in its depiction of the girl's eroticism. He uses the symbolism of the stolen pear—the pear being a well-established symbol of the female figure and fertility—to suggest that this young girl has prematurely taken possession of her feminine nature, already visible in her alluring gaze. Aruma's drawing depicts a similar girl in a similarly mundane situation, though one more typical of modern life. The difference lies in the use of a suggestive pose, exaggerated facial flushing and sweat on the skin to emphasize the girl's femininity and fertility directly. Her expression suggests a precociousness similar to that of Bouguereau's "little thief"...Today's conservatives and reactionaries might also look upon this explicit sexual expression with scorn, noting that a large portion of anime art blurs the line between art and pornography. This merging of the high and low arts is a hallmark of Postmodernism and must be understood in this context...
Full analysis:
https://whereisthewest.com/en/posts/anime-art-and-the-death-of-postmodernism/ 