Making use of the nature of silk, Tsuchida Bakusen drips pigments onto a moist silk surface to give an amorphous shape of the flowers whereas the leaves are delineated with fine lines and then filled in with color. The two different types of treatments, known as mokkotsu and koroku, get along with each other on one space, turning this orthodox work to be refreshing, as well as giving the viewers an impact of the distinctive contrast. At first glance the tone in foliage looks undifferentiated, yet each leaf varies in tonality, such as yellow ocher or terra rosa, and it is almost imperceptible that Bakusen painted gold on the ground. The subtle changes of colors and directions create a somehow realistic representation of the leaves waving in the breeze. The eulalia grass in the background arcing across the lower portion of the work might give rise to an anxiety of overflowing; nevertheless, Bakusen’s accomplished skills at illustrating the angles and the shapes in diverse ways and in varied thicknesses by employing the menso-fude (literally, a paintbrush used for depicting the lines of face) keep the surface plane along with a rhythmic flow.

Tsuchida Bakusen (nihonga painter; 1887–1936)
Niigata-born nihonga painter. His real name is Kinji. A student of Suzuki Shonen and Takeuchi Seiho. Graduated from the Kyoto Municiple Special School of Painting. Co-founded Kokuga sosaku kyokai (Association for the Creation of National Painting) with Murakami Kagaku, Ono Chikkyo, and Sakakibara Shiho in 1918. Active at  Bunten (Ministry of Education Art Exhibition) after the dismember of Kokuga sosaku kyokai. His work attains a great balance between the Western style and traditional Japanese style, and embraces a sense of gracefulness and freshness. One of the most outstanding nihonga painter of his time. Member of Teikoku Bijutsuin (Imperial Fine Art Academy).