The painting titled "It's gonna blow, that’s life" is a vivid and symbolic depiction, interwoven with cultural elements reflective of Japan's natural and spiritual landscape.
Mt. Fuji, the focal point of the painting, represents a trauma as it appears on the verge of eruption. The volcano is painted with emphatically bold colors, primarily blue with streaks of fiery red and gold at its peak, capturing both its majesty and latent volatility. The eruption at the top, symbolizes the untamed power hidden beneath the calm exterior, reflecting the duality in the Japanese temperament.
Regarding the symbolic elements of the painting:
Foxes, traditionally messengers of the Shinto deity Inari, are strategically placed going in two directions --heaven and earth--in the painting. Their dynamic poses suggest urgency and motion. This evokes the idea of nature's messengers alerting to imminent changes or disasters, blending mythology into the natural event.
Trout from the Sengen shrine are illustrated swimming in a haphazard, chaotic manner at the base of Mt. Fuji. This conveys a sense of disruption and upheaval, capturing the turmoil that an eruption would cause. Their erratic presence emphasizes the chaos beneath the seemingly tranquil environment.
Cranes are symbols of long life, yet they ironically circle the peak of Mt. Fuji like vultures.
What is going on?
The Japanese are often seen as calm and rational, but their country is home to the active volcano Mt. Fuji anchored right in the center of the main island. This volcano last exploded in 1707 and is expected to erupt again.
In terms of religion, the Japanese have a syncretic approach, blending elements from their own culture and other cultures. This painting depicts the anticipated eruption of Mt. Fuji, with foxes serving as messengers to the deities, trout from the Sengen shrine swimming in chaos, and cranes circling the volcano like vultures, despite traditionally symbolizing long life.
To climb the mountain is to embrace a very powerful deity, but as the number five in the center of the painting indicates, pilgrims/hikers can drive 60% up the mountain to stage five by car or taxi.
So the painting represents a usual day in Japan, where the wall between the ordinary and the extraordinary is quite thin. More universally, the painting suggests that chaos is the fabric of life.
