Hannya painting and framing process
“Rage”
8.5x15in (22x38cm)
Mixed media
2025
The Hannya is a mask used in traditional Japanese Noh theater. I've been reading about world masks through history and culture for a few years now. I find it's a very interesting consept for me for many reasons, that mainly have to do with my effort to unlock my own undertsnding of self perception.
"Hannya" means "wisdom" and there are a few explanations on why would the mask used to represent an enraged female demon be called "wisdom". Whether it took the name of its designer, or was inspired by a play or simply that it took wisdom from the craftsman to build her, her name is probably the most well known of all the Noh masks.
I thought that "rage" is a pretty straight forward title for this piece as I'm terrible at naming artwork. I also am against explaining much about the concept because I don't like telling people what to think. A Hannya is a woman who turned into a terrible demon, orchids are delicate yet keep coming back to bloom even after being cut down to the bottom and gold and crystals form under great pressure and collision. It can convey one thing to one person and something else to another. For one person it might be pretty for someone else its ugly. I'm fine with whatever people make of it, and I don't want to have control of it.
If you want to read more about this artwork and the process I followed, click on the link below and read my article about it
https://www.melinavanderwerf.com/post...
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