The Hypnotic Allure Of Marumiyan
“I like to illustrate natural objects such as flowers and animals.
They make the artwork vivid and brilliant.”
- Marumiyan, Templates
I’ve written before about DJ Okawari, one of the great nu-jazz musicians, but I’d always intended to write about the man behind the cover art, Marumiyan (Ryosuke Mori). This is because I believe Marumiyan to be one of the great graphic artists of our time, much like Okawari himself, he blends the modern with the traditional. We would do well to embrace his style, as it is emblematic of our post-Internet pop culture. An eclectic universe where the oldest of prints can be archived, while the newest creative expressions may flourish. Design Indaba has called his style “filled with floral elements, intense energy and bright colour,” and went further on to say that he drew on upon Japanese culture, Art Nouveau posters, and an understanding of light and darkness brought on by modern photography.
Going through the various works of Marumiyan can be akin to walking through a kaleidoscope. Hypnotic. Each one should be set aside for a time so your eyes can lustfully devour every breath, quiver, and nuance. I could spend hours. I have. A common theme in his prints are the women, the muses who take the center stage in his operatic displays. The looks that many of these women give can vary from elated, to dignified, to pensive. At times, they remind me of the sharp stares in Albrecht Durer’s “Melancholia I”, in the sense that you would love to know what is on her mind, surrounded by all of this ecstasy. Though Marumiyan won’t tell, and neither will she.
Each Marumiyan is an explosion, bursting at the seams with movement. Much of this is helped by his understanding of proportion and perspective. It would be an easy thing to have the many objects in these works clutter and clash, especially with the bold choices in color, yet they all seem to harmonize smoothly. Every floating butterfly or blooming lotus complements one another, it’s very easy on the eyes. That Marumiyan can do this consistently over a wide variety of works, reveals his mastery of the craft.
It is my hope that Marumiyan gets more attention outside of Japan. If I had to select the works of one artist who I felt best embodied the concept of “imagination”, it would be him. Not only does his art well reflect the beauty that can be had from exploiting that enigma of a flowering mind, but his sketches also provoke us to play with our own potential.
The Complete Portfolio of Marumiyan
