3 Illustrations for 'Killed By Roses' (A Book Of Portraits Of Yukio Mishima) 1969

Tadanori Yokoo created this illustration for 'Killed By Roses', a book of portraits of Yukio Mishima. In Japan, during the late 20th century, Mishima was a cultural icon. As a writer, he was seen to embody the conflict between traditional Japanese values and Western modernity. This conflict led to his dramatic, ritual suicide in 1970. Yokoo's work captures something of Mishima's theatricality and the hyper-masculine persona he cultivated. The image employs the stark symbolism of a raised red arm set against the landscape, perhaps a symbol of protest, aggression or a call to action. The meaning of the arm is unclear. Is this a call to action? Is it raised in anger or supplication? The fact that the raised arm is cut off at the shoulder reflects the way Mishima’s life was cut short in the name of preserving traditional Japanese values. By consulting historical and biographical sources, as well as texts on the art of the period, we can better appreciate the complex and often contradictory meanings of art.