Description
In Cherry Blossoms and Irises, long iris leaves and flowers occupy one side of the illustration while a blooming cherry branch reaches through the other. The open paper ground keeps the two plants distinct while allowing them to share the page. Kitagawa Utamaro brings blossoms and irises into relation, giving this image from Flowers of the Four Seasons a focused encounter with plant forms.
The 1801 illustration is a woodblock print in ink and color on paper. As an image from an illustrated book, it belongs to a sequence while retaining the interest of its individual subject. The work encourages a close encounter with plant forms, allowing the flowers to remain central without assigning an unsupported meaning to their combination or treating the page as a depiction of the entire volume.
Read our guide to giclée prints or browse the Kitagawa Utamaro collection.
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