Swallows and Hanging Cherry Blossoms
by Ohara Koson
- Date:
- c. 1900–1945
- Medium:
- Woodblock print
- Format:
- Oban
- Publisher:
- Watanabe Shozaburo
- Edition:
- Published by Watanabe Shozaburo
- Source:
- Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
by Ohara Koson
Koson's bird-and-flower prints are his most numerous and accessible works — he designed ~450 prints total. Common subjects in average condition remain widely available. Quality of impression, color fidelity, and publisher seal (Kokkeido preferred over Watanabe) are the key value drivers.
Swallows dart through a composition of hanging cherry blossoms — the birds in swift aerial motion, the flowers in their brief, drifting fall, the whole scene a study in contrasting movement. The swallows' arrival from their winter grounds in Southeast Asia coincides with cherry blossom season, making the combination seasonal rather than merely pictorial. Koson's swallow-and-sakura prints are among his most beloved, the energy of the birds and the ephemeral beauty of the blossoms creating an atmosphere of charged seasonal transition.
Kumoi sakura
1926
Color woodblock print
1935
Color woodblock print
Romon
1935
Color woodblock print
円山公園桜
Woodblock print
Curated cross-cuts that include this print.
Swallows and Hanging Cherry Blossoms was created by Ohara Koson (小原古邨) in c. 1900–1945.
Swallows and Hanging Cherry Blossoms was published by Watanabe Shozaburo (c. 1900–1945).
Swallows and Hanging Cherry Blossoms depicts cherry blossoms.
