Art Essay Sample: The Hidden Emotions in the Images of the Tale of Genji

Throughout the Tale of Genji, the reader experiences a variety of emotions, where each illustration triggers feelings of joy, love, and sometimes, sadness. The effect is further amplified through the story narration, by alternating between poem and prose. The main impact, however, is made by the deep emotions and attachment to characters that are developed throughout the tale. The term Mono Aware was introduced to characterize such deep feelings. We owe understanding of the name to Motoori Norinaga, who defined it as savoring life more deeply. The two following images carry tremendous emotional weight as every detail, if analyzed, trigger specific feelings on the reader. We shall examine every aspect of both pictures, and connect their metaphorical meanings to human emotions such as joy, grief, and despair, and the concept of transience that ties them all together.

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Murasaki Shikibu combined prose, poem, and animation to create the most significant emotional impact on the reader. Today, facial expressions are considered as the most potent tool to convey emotion. However, the animation in "Tale of Genji" follows the principle of "Hikime-Kagihana" - "A line for an eye, a hook for the nose." Karen L. Brock wrote that such an approach was "expressive of hidden emotions." Perhaps, the author is empathizing on the idea that one cannot believe the facial expressions alone, but should look at other signs and symbols to uncover the real emotions and feelings. The metaphor behind this concept might be that, on the outside, everything looks right and perfect, while the atmosphere inside is full of sorrow. This is particularly true for the leftmost illustration.

Before analyzing the leftmost illustration, let's consider the context behind it. In it, Genji holds the baby, Kaoru, and he knows that the child is not his. Genji experiences mixed feelings, and we can use elements of the animation to decipher them. The image has a very steep descending diagonal feel compared to other pictures in the series, which points toward sorrow and torment of characters. Another detail directing towards conflicting emotions in this scene would be Genji's white robe. A white gown is the symbol of winter, and the season in this image is indeed winter. Nevertheless, it was also a symbol of celebration and the 50th-day of the child's ceremony. It is difficult to say which of the two is the real reason why he wore the white Robe. Additionally, this can be signified by Genji's confusion and torment as he does not know whether to be happy or heartbroken. On the other hand, if we consider face value of the illustration without concentrating on the deeper meaning and hidden emotions, then the atmosphere is joyful. Genji bowing his head close to the child depicts love and care, whereas the third princess is unable to determine Genji's true feelings toward her and her son. The space between them and the princess' gaze into the floor, all point towards emotional distance between them.

As mentioned earlier, Motoori Norinaga describes "mono no aware" as savoring life more deeply. If we apply this principle to characters themselves, we can see how Genji is trying to combat the torment inside him because he knows he is capable of loving the child as his own, but he needs time to do so. Similarly, we add the concept of transience to this scene, as Genji knows that his pain will fade, and Kaoru will bring him joy.

On the second image, we observe an entirely different scene, where tragedy and sorrow dominate the atmosphere. Genji is facing Murasaki on her deathbed after she fell sick. Murasaki is Genji's true love, and he is fully aware that he is losing her. His daughter, the Akashi princess, is sitting in between them, representing the connection between Genji and Murasaki. Spacing plays a particularly important role in this image. We can interpret the big gap between Genji and Murasaki as distancing as her condition worsens. They are growing further apart until the moment he completely loses her. However, the Akashi princess represents the connection between them that will always be there even when Murasaki will be gone. As Alexander Soper analyzed "geometrically structured interior scenes express human emotions and dramatic tension" The illustration has some strong diagonal lines in the architecture, which all symbolizes distress and anguish.

In the "Tale of Genji," seasons play an important role in setting the tone and the atmosphere. As we discussed earlier, on the right image, it was the white robe, a symbol of winter, that symbolized Genji's doubt and mixed feelings. Whereas, on the rightmost picture, we can see some details from outside the room. The bush clover is blown to the right by the strong rising winds and is considered as one of the seven plants of autumn. Autumn, the time when life withers as winter approaches, can be directly connected to Murasaki's worsening condition. Murasaki's frame seems to be smaller and her face paler, which signify how fast he was approaching death. According to Reginald R. Jackson, death had a precise "pictorial and calligraphic portrayal."

The illustrations from the Tale of Genji, are a gold mine of aesthetical and crucial details. In fact, every single aspect can be connected to an emotional state of the character and overall atmosphere of the scene. Sometimes, the emotion implied by the details contradict each other and seem incompatible, but one should look deeper to uncover the real story of Murasaki Shikibi. On Mono no aware - savoring the life more deeply, perhaps what Motoori Norinaga meant by that was that to get the full picture, one must utilize each detail on the puzzle and look concisely to unveil the deepest, hidden and purest emotions.

Bibliography

Jackson, Reginald R. Midare Performance And The Aesthetics Of Decomposition. 2007,.