Yoshitomo Nara

After the deluge

2006

In After the deluge (2006), Japanese artist Yoshitomo Nara depicts a small child, with large innocent and enigmatic eyes, standing in a pool of water. Influenced by Japanese animations from his childhood, such as Gigantor, Atom, and Speed Racer, along with punk music, he funnels the experience and history of his youth onto the canvas. Nara states his paintings contain only personal messages to himself, allowing viewers to ascribe their own meaning to these mysterious and playful figures.