Iris No 145 — 花菖蒲 No 145

Near the end of his numbered iris series, the one hundred forty-fifth composition by Sugiura Kazutoshi shows a flower that has been contemplated so many times it has acquired the quality of an emblem — still recognizably a hana-shōbu, but weighted with the accumulated attention of a lifetime's looking. The layered printing technique at this late stage reaches its full development, with silkscreen overprinting producing surface effects of unusual richness that reward examination with a magnifying glass as much as appreciation from a distance. The gold-leaf grounds glow with a warmth characteristic of his mature work.