Rites of Spring 

Hiro Yamagata made "Rites of Spring" in 1985 using serigraphy, a technique that lends itself to the work's striking visual qualities. The artwork presents a vibrant tableau of urban life teeming with figures and floral arrangements. Yamagata skillfully manipulates color and form to create a dynamic composition where the eye is drawn to the interplay between the geometric structures of the buildings and the organic shapes of trees and flowers. Note how the dark lines of the cobblestone street contrast with the soft, diffused colors of the flowers and the bright, patterned awning. This contrast creates a lively visual rhythm that echoes the bustling activity of the scene. The flatness of the serigraphic printing technique flattens the image, reducing depth and compressing the pictorial space. This compression allows the artwork to challenge traditional notions of perspective and representation. "Rites of Spring" becomes not just a depiction of a scene, but an exploration of how we perceive and construct our visual world. It destabilizes the established idea of space, and celebrates new ways of seeing.