Plein Air, Meiji (Second Take)
A second take of the same treatment: the figure painted outdoors in soft overcast daylight, loaded strokes left standing and unblended.
Robe as Geometry
The robe reduced to one flat angular mass against dark silk, while the face alone is finely observed in precise ink line.
The Unflattering Likeness
The same figure pushed into psychological exaggeration against a mica-dusted ground: jaw and nose enlarged, eyes narrowed, the mouth pursed hard.
Dignified Reserve
A woman in a kimono glancing back over her shoulder, drawn with an exquisitely even ink line and flat matte mineral pigment on silk, the setting stripped to pale ivory.
One Long Line
The same figure cropped to head and shoulders and carried almost entirely by a single long elastic contour against a flat pale ground.
Plein Air, Meiji
The same figure painted outdoors in soft overcast daylight, built from loaded wet-in-wet strokes with colour in the shadows rather than grey.