Nakajima Park

Nakajima Park in Sapporo — the urban park in the center of Hokkaido's capital city, centered on the small island (nakajima) in its large pond — is depicted in one of Maeda Masao's Hokkaido urban subjects. The park's seasonal character — cherry blossoms in spring, maples in autumn, snow in winter — gave it multiple compositions worth treating, and its location in his home region gave Maeda particular familiarity with the subject. His bold graphic style gives the park's trees, water, and the forms of the seasonal landscape a directness of visual statement.