Peach Blossoms

This painting was created with reference to Chinese Song dynasty academic bird and flower painting. From around 1920, as a result of the pursuit of an oil-painting-like feel through the use of Nihonga pigments, Gyoshû thought of positioning his flowers and still-life objects in a completely inorganic space. The peach blossoms, positioned in an almost diagonal line against a gold ground, are extremely closely observed. While small in scale, this work is quite finished in effect. The signature on the left edge of the painting is written in the calligraphy style used by the Song emperor Huizong.