Oil on canvas

53 × 80.3 cm. 20 7/8 × 31 5/8 in.

Signed in English on bottom left

LITERATURE
1972, Zenzaburo Kojima Art Collection Book, Bijutsu Shuppan Sha, Tokyo p.157
PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Asia

This work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity issued and signed by the artist’s family

Amidst the Vibrant Blooms, a Fleeting Moment Becomes Everlasting
Zenzaburo Kojima’s Sole Floral and Landscape Masterpiece Unveiled

In the Intensity of Spring:to See a World in a Wild Flower

Born in Fukuoka in 1893, Zenzaburo Kojima was a self-taught artist. In 1923, he embarked on a journey to France to study the traditional European art of oil painting. According to his memoirs, he recalled, "From Marseille, I passed through a tunnel of apple blossoms to arrive in Paris. On May 15, in the midst of France’s vibrant spring, I soon began my period of studying art." His use of the phrase "flowers blooming and falling" to describe the seasons illustrates the special significance that "flowers" held in his heart.

In 1941, he shifted his focus to landscapes and still-life subjects, delving into the cultural richness of traditional Eastern painting through simplified and pure forms. Completed in 1948, Poppies stands as the artist’s unique piece in the market, combining landscape and floral themes.

Beauty in the Extreme Moment: Discovering Subtlety amidst Boldness

At that time, Zenzaburo Kojima resided in the hilly forest park of Musashino daichi, renowned for its poppy flower fields and acclaimed as the "Poppies of the Sky." In the painting, poppies are scattered in varying heights, creating distinct layers. Dominated by shades of light pink, smoky purple, and red, they stand with a lofty posture, gracefully reaching upwards. Set against the backdrop of green leaves, their vibrancy and life force become even more prominent. This imagery evokes thoughts of the bold forms and splendid colours decorations seen in the folding screen paintings of Japan’s Momoyama period, creating a fusion of natural beauty and formal aesthetics in Japanese landscape art.

Underpinning this aesthetic direction are studies in classical Japanese and Chinese art, along with the aesthetic foundation of ‘Wabi’ (transient and vivid beauty). In contrast to later works that underwent geometric simplification, Poppies strives to restore the authentic appearance of the flowers. Whether depicted with delicate contour lines outlining numerous petals or thinly painted flower leaves, the portrayal deliberately minimizes the depiction of light and shadow to accentuate the essence of the flowers themselves. The slender, straight stems and the round, lush petals create a contrast in volume, showcasing a diverse and dynamic sea of flowers in the ebb and flow of each breath, embodying the charm of the poppy field.

Ukiyo-e: Traditional Heritage and Innovation

Zenzaburo Kojima incorporates the flatness of colour and the contrast of hues from ukiyo-e into his work. In traditional Japanese colours, red symbolizes brightness, intensity, and fullness, carrying rich energy and signifying the surge of emotions. In Poppies, the bold red bouquet against a blue background creates a striking visual impact, echoing the lineage of Utagawa Hiroshige’s Poppies.

After being influenced by Western education, Kojima captures the flowers with a broad, panoramic perspective, encompassing them in the vast expanse beyond the heavens and earth. The blue background and undefined space contain the color perception and spatial sense embedded in Eastern traditional culture. The contrast between the tangible presence of still life and the imaginative extension of space expands the expressive nature of traditional floral still lifes, adding a subjective and abstract aesthetic. This fully embodies Zenzaburo Kojima’s role as a post-war Japanese artist, paying homage to tradition while ingeniously recreating beyond its boundaries.

Although flowers take centre stage in the artwork, it also pays attention to the cosmos —— the enduring and majestic nature that carries the power of life, nurturing the essence of truth and goodness in existence.

Price estimate:
HKD: 300,000 – 500,000
USD: 38,300 - 63,900

Auction Result:
HKD: 624,000