Parting Spring by Kawai Gyokudō

Parting Spring by Kawai Gyokudō




In the autumn of the year before the production of the “Spring to go” and in the early spring of the same year, Kawai Gyokudō (1873-1957) went on a trip to Nagatoro in Chichibu, to draw sketches and enjoy river rafting. Based on the scenery, he created this piece called “Parting Spring” by sprinkling petals of cherry blossoms that dance like light snow on the screen. During the travels, Gyokudō was particularly interested in a water wheel that revolved in the same rhythm over and over again. It is said that he took the greatest pains to express the flow of water in the river in order to reproduce and convey the movement. It is unusual for this painter who often plainly expresses gentle emotions, and it seems that a big concept was developed from his experience and to the production.

Title: Parting Spring

Author: Kawai Gyokudō

Year: 1916

Size:183.0×390.0cm

Own: The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo

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