Retsuko Rage

Posted on by The Wandering Art Historian

“Retsuko Rage” is one of my paintings recently on display at the 1st Thursday event, “Nerds in the City,” at the Orlando Museum of Art.  This piece is inspired by the anime, “Aggretsuko,” which can be found on Netflix and is part of the Sanrio universe which includes notable characters like Hello Kitty and Chococat.

The story of “Aggretsuko” is centered around a red panda – Retsuko – who is a twenty-something office girl in Tokyo who hates her job.  She does everything she can to make her time at work more enjoyable, but nothing does the trick.  The only thing she has to help cope with her hostile work environment is karaoke.  Each night after work, she visits her karaoke booth, takes out her special microphone… and screams death metal.

I chose to depict Retsuko in the midst of one of her rage moments and reduced the color scheme to white, silver and pink on a black background.  This piece is acrylic on canvas and measures 16″ x 20″.

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I am writer and artist with a degree in art history who loves to talk to people about art. I have spent the last seven years building up The Wandering Art Historian “brand” as a way to connect with people who want to learn more about art. I give lectures and presentations and teach classes and host book club discussions with a creative or artistic connection. I also write about local artists, events, museums, and exhibitions to promote the arts in Central Florida. In 2021, I had a creative crisis. I struggled with authenticity in the art making process. I decided to make myself vulnerable and find out what a real, genuine Adrienne H. Lee artwork would look like. The process was challenging and emotional and revelatory. I learned that if necessity is the mother of invention, then authenticity is the mother of reinvention. I reinvented myself and learned an entirely new medium. The resulting artwork surprised me, and it will surprise you, too. Some people wish for a fairytale ending. For me, the fairy tale is only the beginning.