Takasegawa-Spring

The Takasegawa — the man-made canal that runs through the heart of old Kyoto, its banks lined with cherry trees that bloom extravagantly each spring — is Karhu's subject in this 1990 spring print, one of three in a seasonal series for the canal. The Takasegawa Spring captures the moment when the cherry blossoms are at their fullest, the pale blooms arching over the canal's dark water in a composition that Karhu organizes with characteristic directness. The canal's straight geometry provides structure for the organic abundance of the flowers.