The 10th anniversary of the Main Library at 210 East and 400 South in Salt Lake City is a time of celebration and now of discovery. Shunichi (Shu) Yamamoto, a native of Japan and now a resident of Sandy, Utah, has several of his fine art renditions on display in the Gallery of the Children's Library from Feb. 11, 2013 to April 5, 2013.
In them, we discover the elements missing from the popularly known works of Renoir, Manet and more. Little did anyone realize the importance of place cats have held throughout the history of art from the earliest Egyptian pottery to the most recent experiments in pointillism and cubism.
This is a fabulous romp through art. No serious, self-important and pseudo-solemn museum pieces are these. They deserve their own wing at the New York Museum of Modern Art under the heading of f-u-n.
The name of the game
From the very first glance, one can't help but be caught up in the game of Name That Piece or from racking your brain in trying to remember the artist's name after reading Mr. Yamamoto's clever felinesque interpretations of the artist's name and piece's title, or trying to remember how the original artist's work went because here cats take center stage. Here all things are seen through a cat's lens.
There are cats crossing the Delaware, cats starring in American Gothic and cats reinterpreting history and art with catnip in one paw, a glass of milk in the other and rats playfully enjoying their picnic (taking a bit of poetic license here).
The cat king
Here cats rule and Mr. Yamamoto is their king. This is the most fun one can ever have with fine art and you'll be surprised how much you learn and find that you already knew with this intriguing and never childish, yet joyfully accessible-to-all showing. It is astonishing how much human art mirrors these frolics, only with less zest and creativity.
Apologies to Mr. Yamamoto, the photos of him were taken with a dying camera phone and have a totally golden hue. He generously allowed us to photograph his works and present them here to you. Enjoy.
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