Takashi Murakami helps Google celebrate summer (and winter) solstice
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Takashi Murakami is famous for his brightly colored, Superflat creations that draw from manga, anime and other aspects of Japanese pop culture. On Tuesday, Murakami contributed designs featured on the Google homepage to celebrate both the summer solstice in the Northern Hemisphere and the winter solstice in the Southern Hemisphere.
The summer solstice is the longest day of the year and signifies the first day of summer. It occurs when the Earth’s axis achieves its greatest tilt toward the sun. Conversely, the winter solstice occurs in the opposite hemisphere on exactly the same day.
Tuesday’s Google doodles feature Murakami’s signature alien-like creatures rendered in his trademark style. In 2007, L.A.’s Museum of Contemporary Art held a retrospective of Murakami’s artwork. The exhibition, titled ‘Copyright Murakami,’ drew record crowds to the museum’s space at the Geffen Contemporary.
Other recent culturally themed Google doodles include homages to Martha Graham, Dizzy Gillespie, Peter Ilich Tchaikovsky and Frida Kahlo.
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-- David Ng
Images: Google
