paintings

Immersive Museum offers impressive impressionist fun this summer in Tokyo

Become one with the strokes.

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Boys’ love at the temple? Sensual ikemen art that raised eyebrows in Japan now set to be removed

Modern makeover at centuries-old temple comes to an end, but not for rumoured reasons.

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Celebrate famous works of art AND cats with these adorably clever “Cats in Art” capsule toys

Collect all five and create your own “Nyanko Museum!”

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140-year-old sukiyaki restaurant in Tokyo closing due to coronavirus pandemic

Asakusa’s Chinya has been serving visitors to the historical district for more than a century.

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Botched art restorations become Japanese gacha capsule toys

Restoration fails remind us to keep our own mistakes in perspective.

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Otaku in Western Art: Hilarious viral hashtag finds geeks hiding in classic masterpieces

Otaku struggles are real and they’ve been right under our noses for centuries.

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Pikachu, other Pokémon recreate classic painting The Scream, have us squealing at their cuteness

New merchandise proves it’s impossible for the beloved Pocket Monster icon to not look cute.

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Japanese artist is master of multi-tasking, gets two paintings done at once

When you’ve got two hands, why not use them both at once?

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Simply gorgeous: Japanese artist uses sea salt to bring these sea creatures to life

Artist Mai Hirashima uses an unusual technique to create these inspired pictures.

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New book reworks classic paintings in modern Japanese popular styles

Ever wondered what Munch’s The Scream or Vermeer’s Girl with a Pearl Earring might look like if done in modern day Japan? If so, then this book is for you!

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Japanese artist re-invents religious art from the Renaissance Period

Anime is the new religion, at least when it comes to these re-imagined religious works of art by Hiroshi Mori.

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See America through the eyes of Chiura Obata, a Japanese artist from the early 1900s

Chances are you’ve never heard of Chiura Obata. Well, all that changes now.

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Adorable, whimsical pictures of animals painted by old-school Japanese masters

Japanese ukiyo-e painters from the Edo period (1603-1868) are now famous throughout the world for their exquisite woodblock prints depicting everyday Japanese life and the natural world. Such master painters are less well-known, however, for their humorous contributions to the art world, which often feature whimsical scenes of anthropomorphic animals. Fortunately for us, though, these types of pictures are experiencing a recent wave of popularity among Japanese Internet users, and these images are simply too cute for us to just pass up. We’ve got fish, cats, puppies, monkeys, and a few more surprises from the masters in store for you after the jump!

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Admission is $30 and all the paintings are fakes – so why is the Otsuka Museum of Art so popular?

The Otsuka Museum of Art is a place of extremes. It’s the biggest exhibition space in Japan, housing masterpieces of Western art from antiquity to the modern day. The route around its 1,000 artworks is 4km long (2.5 miles), and it takes a full, tiring day to see it all. And with a 3,150 yen (US $29.22) adult admission fee, it’s also Japan’s most expensive gallery.

The works on show are, quite literally, too good to be true. The Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, Guernica, Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Rembrandt’s self-portraits: everything is here. And every single one of them is a replica. But why are so many people prepared to pay through the nose to see prints of masterpieces?

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Pikachu meets the Renaissance in the wacky paintings of Notre Chauvet

Ronald McDonald towers over distraught men and women in floral wreaths, who reach out desperately to touch his glowing, Christ-like figure.

A 17th-century Simon Vouet painting is reimagined with a female figure from a 1960s comic-book, who shields herself from Father Time’s anger as Ned Flanders looks on laughing.

Welcome to the world of Notre Chauvet. Drawing on their training in traditional painting to combine classical elements with figures from pop culture, brothers Jo and Graeme Hagan create brash, dystopian visions that are as colourful as they are dark.

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Feast your eyes on these Disney princess oil prints fit to be hung in a real castle

While we here at RocketNews24 often feature articles relating to Japan’s beloved Studio Ghibli, it’s no secret that we also have a soft spot for good old Disney animated films. Of course, the hallmark of Disney is its Disney Princess franchise, and we never shy away from sharing any interesting princess-related news that we find floating around the web.

This time around, we’ve stumbled across some absolutely gorgeous Disney character-inspired paintings by oil artist Heather Theurer. If you’ve got a love for Disney girls and are looking to spruce up your walls, then bibbidi-bobbidi-boo, these prints could be the perfect solution for you!

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