Peach Blossoms, Gyoshū Hayami
This painting was created with reference to Chinese Song dynasty academic bird and flower painting. From around 1920, as a result of the pursuit of an oil-painting-like feel through the use of Nihonga pigments, Gyoshû thought of positioning his flowers and still-life objects in a completely inorganic space. The peach blossoms, positioned in an almost diagonal line against a gold ground, are extremely closely observed. While small in scale, this work is quite finished in effect.
