Vegetable Vender 2002

Takashi Murakami made Vegetable Vender using silkscreen print and collage; he builds layer upon layer, like a DJ sampling different sounds to create something new. Look at these eye-like shapes scattered across the surface of the canvas! They're almost like characters staring back at us, adding a playful element to the work. The colors are bright and bold, but there's also a sense of flatness to them, as if they've been printed rather than painted. It’s this flatness, and the almost cartoon-like quality of the shapes, which make you think of comic books and pop art. I'm also drawn to the background, with its checkerboard pattern which has a depth that contrasts with the flat forms floating on top. The background makes me think of Sol LeWitt. Both artists are interested in how simple forms can create complex, engaging compositions. And like LeWitt, Murakami reminds us that art is about process, experimentation, and the joy of discovery. It's about embracing ambiguity and finding beauty in the unexpected.