Flower (Hana)

"Flower (Hana)" is a 1977 color intaglio print by Ouchi Makoto that takes on the most classical of Japanese artistic subjects. The word "hana" encompasses not just the physical blossom but the broader aesthetic concept of fleeting beauty that underpins much of Japanese visual culture. Ouchi approaches the flower through the intaglio process, where the plate surface is etched and inked to produce soft gradations and fine detail impossible to achieve through woodblock carving alone. The color work in this piece likely builds from delicate washes to more saturated passages, mirroring the way a bloom concentrates color at its center. By filtering this deeply traditional subject through a Western printmaking technique, Ouchi reframes the familiar as something fresh and slightly unexpected.