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Artwork · 1834 · Flower painting

Bullfinch on Weeping Cherry

Hokusai
1834
Location unknown
★ 6.5 editorial score

A plump bullfinch perches on a sprig of weeping cherry, its head turned, the pink blossoms drooping in a graceful arc against a pale ground inscribed with a poem. Hokusai made this small color woodblock as part of a series of birds and flowers, distilling a whole season into a few exquisite lines and tender colors. Far from the drama of his Great Wave, it shows the other side of his genius - the quiet, precise observation of nature in the long Japanese tradition of bird-and-flower prints, balance and delicacy held in perfect poise.

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Quote · 1977

“There is a legend about a bird which sings just once in its life, more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth. From the moment it leaves the nest it searches for a thorn tree, and does not rest until it has found one. Then, singing among the savage branches, it impales itself upon the longest, sharpest spine. And, dying, it rises above its own agony to out-carol the lark and the nightingale. One superlative song, existence the price. But the whole world stills to listen, and God in His heaven smiles. For the best is only bought at the cost of great pain.”

Colleen McCullough