Pumpkin 1990

Yayoi Kusama made this gorgeous pumpkin and what strikes me is the obsessive quality, the endless repetition of dots, how she must have delighted in the process! I can only imagine the artist’s focus as she methodically applied each dot, creating a symphony of color and form. I mean, look at that palette: fiery reds, sunny yellows, and cool blues dancing across the surface. There is something both calming and unsettling about the painting, like peering into a kaleidoscope of dreams. The pumpkin motif seems to swell and undulate, its organic form rendered almost alien by the dots. Is it a celebration of nature or a commentary on the artificiality of our perceptions? Maybe it is a bit of both. Like her infinity mirror rooms, Kusama's pumpkin is an environment, an infinite space contained within the frame. I think that all of us artists are in an ongoing conversation, riffing on each other’s ideas across time, inspiring each other’s creativity. Kusama's dots remind me of the pointillist paintings of Seurat, yet they also feel utterly unique and personal.