Enso Blue 2016

"Enso Blue" (2016) by Takashi Murakami is a vibrant and playful work of art that showcases the artist's signature style. The painting is dominated by a dense field of Murakami's iconic smiling flowers, known as "Kaikai Kiki," in a range of blues, purples, and pinks. The flowers are interspersed with skulls, a recurring motif in Murakami's work that adds a touch of darkness and irony to the otherwise cheerful composition. A thick white stroke, reminiscent of an "enso," a circle painted in a single brushstroke in Zen Buddhism, cuts through the floral field, creating a dynamic contrast and suggesting a sense of movement and energy. This work is representative of Murakami's blend of traditional Japanese art forms with contemporary pop culture, known as "Superflat."