<b>IRISES (Color Variant)</b> / Kawase Hasui1929<B>SOLD</B></em>

Details

Bright and vibrant irises bloom among thick green stocks of grass. Blues, violets, and deep purple and burgundy tones meander across the composition with a rhythmic quality that recalls the venerable textile patterns of traditional Japanese kimonos. A striking pink sky crowns the composition and provides a sense of orientation, as the intimate and detailed design invites a close and careful study that easily engrosses the viewer with the myriad of details therein.

This spellbinding composition is a bit of a departure for Kawase Hasui. Not known for his still-life work, this daring design may ask the viewer why the artist didn’t produce more designs in this vein. Although beautifully composed and executed, the work displays an interesting tension between its strong lifelike quality and the Japanese tradition for stylized floral textile patterns. These two polarities are certainly present within the composition and significantly add to the design’s impact.

It is interesting to note this impression is an exceedingly rare trial color variant. Unlike the commercial version, this impression boasts a more lifelike quality in the rendering of the flowers. The most obvious difference is this impression’s orange/pink sky versus the pale blue of the commercial edition.

Connoisseur's Note

This outstanding design was originally published by Kawaguchi and Saki. This trial impression does not contain the original limited-edition label, as this work was most likely not produced in more than a couple of impressions for the publisher to study. This impression is in an outstanding state of preservation with sharp and vivid colors, appearing as strong as the day it was printed.