Japanese Print "Kingfisher with Iris and Pinks" by Katsushika Hokusai
Artist:Katsushika Hokusai
Title:Kingfisher with Iris and Pinks
Date:c. 1832
Details:The original page for this print is no longer online. More information may be available on the source's web site.
Source:Honolulu Museum of Art
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Description:
Tall stems of irises, with their long leaves, rise above a dense cluster of pinks (dianthus) below. Using a favorite pairing of bird and flower, Hokusai creates a bold design. The bird's long, strong bill echoes the shape of the snakelike leaves, and the colors of the flowers repeat in the kingfisher's blue wings. The red of the dianthus is picked up in the bird's face and the graded tembokashi of the background. This pairing of bird and flowers has a well-calculated compositonal intent. Hiroshige depicted a kingfisher with hydrangeas where the bird's blue plumage is picked up in the hydrageas' blue petals. (Asian Art Museum of San Francisco, “Hokusai and Hiroshige”, 1998)
