I’ve had a thing for abstract modern art ever since I read Vonnegut’s Bluebeard back in high school. When we went on a field trip with my university study group, and visited a museum, I was getting weird looks from my fellow students for spending hours looking at nonfigurative beauties.

I must admit though, that just how I prefer landscapes form the impressionists, I’m not a big fan of art like Warhol’s applied designs. There were lots of stuff from that kind of modern art as well, so for someone who favors the flashy or obscene kind, there is plenty to enjoy.

Luckily there were plenty of stuff to my liking at the National Museum of Modern Arts Tokyo. There was a Rothko piece too, and while it was pretty great, there were many I liked even more in the exhibit.

I was surprised just how many Chinese artists were represented. I’d have expected the Party to oppress such unconventional forms of expression. I wonder if they worked in exile?

One of my favorite pieces was from the Japanese-style art gallery, a big hanging paper that appeared empty at first… Except it wasn’t. There were two tiny, tiny ants painted on it in extreme detail. Of course it was titled Ants. Just hilarious.