Google sees in summer with Takashi Murakami doodle

At 19:16 EST, the first day of summer will officially begin, and true to form, Google has chosen to mark the occasion: with a special doodle designed by Japanese artist Takashi Murakami.

The ''doodle'' (or commemorative logo) created to mark the start of summer is a typical example of a Murakami design, which combines the world of Japanese ''manga'' with pop culture. The second ''o'' of Google is an abstract doodle of a sun, while the logo is surrounded by typical Murakami flowers and two very manga-like characters,

As always, clicking on the doodle takes the user to a series of links regarding the Summer Solstice, the first of which are to the on-line encyclopaedia Wikipedia.

Takashi Murakami (born in Tokyo in 1963) is frequently known as the Japanese Andy Warhol. He is one of the world''s most internationally recognisable figures within the sphere of contemporary art. However, his work is frequently multidisciplinary and includes sculpture, anime and fashion. An exhibition of his work was displayed at Bilbao''s Guggenheim museum in May 2009.