Cherry blossom time — 花時

"Cherry Blossom Time" (Hanadoki) situates Onchi within the great Japanese tradition of spring subject matter while inflecting it with his distinctive formal sensibility. Rather than the topographic specificity of a particular cherry tree or viewing location, Onchi renders the experience of cherry blossom time as an atmospheric condition: the soft pinks, the diffuse quality of light through masses of petals, the feeling of immersion in the seasonal bloom rather than observation of it. The composition demonstrates how Onchi absorbed traditional Japanese seasonal subject matter into his formally innovative printmaking practice.