Pansy

A pansy rendered in etching and aquatint with color, from 1969 — a rare departure from Tanaka's characteristic architectural subjects into the genre of botanical observation. The pansy's distinctive "face," its velvety petals and strong color contrasts, makes it one of the most characterful of Western garden flowers, and Tanaka brings the same close attention to its form that he applies to worn stone and aged timber. The presence of color in the aquatint medium gives the blossom an unusual luminosity.