Tenderness (A)

Tenderness (A)—the first or primary version of a subject Saito explored in at least two variants—likely depicts a mother and child, or possibly two figures in an attitude of mutual care. The word tenderness in his vocabulary signals an approach to the human figure different from his more austere temple and abstract subjects, a concession to emotional directness without abandoning formal discipline. The (A) designation suggests a second variant explored the same theme from a different angle or in a different palette.