earticle

영어

The purpose of this paper is to examine how the idea of dessin and déformation in introductory manga books changed during the 40s of Showa era (1965-1975). Dessin and déformation, which is a basic concept of modern art, has influenced many manga artists since the pre-war era. Therefore, many introductory manga books have stressed the importance of manga artists learning these methods. In the the 40s of Showa era, many introductory books to manga were published, and they can be divided into three categories. The first category comprises introductions to traditional cartoons, which were intended as political satire and were influenced by modern fine arts since the pre-war era. The second category comprises introductions to story manga, or comics narrating stories, which became hugely popular among children following World War II. The third and final category comprises introductions to gekiga, an offspring of story manga that incorporated more realistic expressions and was mainly targeted at young adults. This paper discusses how each kind of introductory book explained the idea of dessin and déformation, focusing particularly on introductions to story manga and gekiga because both genres gained more popularity than cartoons during the 40s of Showa era. First, each genre’s explanations of dessin and déformation will be compared. Next, the ways in which each genre received influence from the traditional idea of dessin and deformation, which was strongly connected with cartoons, will be examined. Finally, the reasons for such differences will be clarified, taking into account the sociocultural context surrounding manga, such as the decline of fine art’s influence, advancement of information society, and the rise of new visual media like TV.