For this task, I had to explore temperature, both in colour and monochromatic images of a single subject. To do this I created a set of 4" x 4" Mount Fuji paintings with the following attributes:
· Summer, daytime, colour, cool
· Autumn, sunset, colour, warm
· Winter, night, monochromatic, cool
· Spring, sunrise, monochromatic, warm
My favourite one from this series is the Spring one. I like it because it has the most symbolism connecting to Japan. For one, Mount Fuji is incredibly important to Japanese identity - when living overseas, Japanese people will often add the suffix "-fuji" to the names of nearby mountains as a way to stay connected to their homelands. But the Spring image goes further than the others. Compositionally, it is flatter than, say, the more western-style Summer and Winter images, which gives it a feeling reminiscent of traditional ukiyo-e paintings. It also features the sakura, or cherry blossom, which is the national flower of Japan, holding similar status to Mount Fuji in the national consciousness and also making pink rather popular with the people. Finally, the Spring image is also the sunrise image, aaaand... Japan is the land of the rising sun!
Which one is your favourite?
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富士山の色
Fujisan No Iro
“The Colours of Mount Fuji”
Acrylic on Canvas, 2017
Private Collection
#1
富士山：夏の日
Fujisan: Natsu No Hi
“Mount Fuji: Summer’s Day”
#2
富士山：秋の夕日
Fujisan: Aki No Yūhi
“Mount Fuji: Autumn’s Sunset”
#3
富士山：冬の夜
Fujisan: Fuyu No Yo
“Mount Fuji: Winter’s Night”
#4
富士山：春の日の出
Fujisan: Haru No Hinode
“Mount Fuji: Spring’s Sunrise”