Sound of Thunder

A large white peony in full bloom dominates the right side of the composition, its layered petals rendered in soft grey-white tones around a cluster of golden stamens, with a smaller unopened bud at lower left; slender leaves and stems in muted gold-brown fill the lower portion of the scene. Streaks and splatters of gold leaf cascade from the upper edge downward like falling branches or rain against a warm ochre ground, and a red seal mark appears at lower right. *Sound of Thunder* (2018), a nihonga work by Yoshihito Kawase, in a muted palette of gold, cream, and umber.