Details

In Red Peony, Okiie Hashimoto orchestrates a vivid symphony of color and line, capturing the sensual richness of a peony blossom in full bloom. Against a pale, ethereal background, a lush red peony rises prominently, its undulating petals rendered with loose, organic brushwork. Hidden amid the foliage, two white peacocks emerge in ghostly contrast, their feathers delicately defined with swift, confident strokes that shimmer with subtle grace.

The composition exudes an intimate dynamism, as if caught in the breath of a passing breeze. The vibrant, spontaneous quality of the printing—where color bleeds and blends organically—speaks to Hashimoto’s early immersion in the Sosaku Hanga ("creative prints") ethos. Deeply influenced by his mentor, Koshiro Onchi, Hashimoto embraces an expressive, intuitive approach to form, favoring emotional atmosphere over strict realism.

Connoisseur's Note

Red Peony is a superb example of Hashimoto’s early style, marked by bold experimentation and a lyrical sensitivity to nature’s rhythms. Created in 1948, it stands among the artist’s rarest early works, prior to the more structured architectural subjects for which he later became renowned.

The loose, organic color application and painterly carving clearly trace their lineage to the teachings of Onchi and the broader Sosaku Hanga tradition. Collectors value prints like this for their historical significance and the palpable sense of artistic immediacy they embody. Red Peony captures a fleeting moment of vitality with the fresh spirit and poetic freedom that define Hashimoto’s earliest and most cherished period.