Spring Rain

Spring rain falls on a Japanese landscape — perhaps temple grounds, a garden, or a city street — the moisture softening edges and enriching colors while the particular quality of spring rain light suffuses the scene with a diffuse warmth quite different from summer downpours. Kasamatsu's spring rain prints occupy a middle register between the dramatic heavy rainfall of his summer and autumn scenes and the delicate precipitation of the brief spring rainy season. The composition captures rain as a seasonal condition with its own aesthetic character.