By TANAKA Juuyoh (田中十洋) - Sakura and Moss Pink / 桜(さくら)と芝桜(しばざくら), CC BY 2.0
I struggled with this theme, thinking that I knew nothing about Japan. I wondered about taking inspiration from Yayoi Kusama, I like her infinity reflections, but truth be told, I find her dots and colours a little bilious.
Then, in the village, as I was running some errands, I caught a glimpse of something from the corner of my eye. I didn't see it properly, but I knew without looking it was cherry blossom, the palest pink against smooth dark bark.
By Utagawa Hiroshige - Museum of Fine Arts Boston, William Sturgis Bigelow Collection. Public Domain: Wikipedia
When I got home, I settled down with a cup of tea and starting researching cherry blossom. This was the kind of image I had in my mind of Japanese art - the muted colours, sparsely drawn lines, the tension and beauty of the blossom against the sky.
100 Yen Coin - Cherry Blossom by Misogi - Own work. Public Domain: Wikipedia.
A stylised version of blossom with petals and stamens. The single flowers seem to have five petals, these a double version with jagged edges to the petals.
Symbolism
Cherry blossoms are a frequent topic in waka composition, where they commonly symbolize impermanence.[31] Due to their characteristic of blooming en masse, cherry blossoms and are considered an enduring metaphor for the ephemeral nature of life.[32] Cherry blossoms frequently appear in Japanese art, manga, anime, and film, as well as stage set designs for musical performances. There is at least one popular folk song, originally meant for the shakuhachi (bamboo flute), titled "Sakura", in addition to several later pop songs bearing the name. The flower is also used on all manner of historical and contemporary consumer goods, including kimonos,[33] stationery,[34] and dishware.[35] Source
Impermanence, a fleeting moment of beauty and joy, uplifting after the cold weather and dreary, rain-filled days.
In a Shoreham Garden By Samuel Palmer (1820s or early 1830s). The Yorck Project (2002) 10.000 Meisterwerke der Malerei (DVD-ROM), distributed by DIRECTMEDIA Publishing GmbH. ISBN: 3936122202. Public Domain: Wikipedia
I was reminded of another treatment of, I am guessing, cherry blossom, by Samuel Palmer, a new-to-me artist that I discovered last year at the Voices in Art group. Lush, fecund, full of promise. Interesting there is a woman in the background. Lush and fleeting, wistful.
This was the blossom that caught my peripheral vision. I love cherry blossom in the Spring, great swathes of ethereal flowers, some delicate shades, others gaudy in pink, a beautiful cloud-like vision on a Spring day heralding the new year of growth.
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