Landscape with Tainan Seibyo 1933

Fujishima Takeji built this landscape with greens, reds, yellows, and blues, in brushstrokes that feel like a warm breeze. You know, I can imagine him standing there, squinting a little, trying to catch the light as it filters through the trees, hitting the roofs of the Tainan Seibyo temple. It's like he's wrestling with the scene, smearing and daubing, trying to nail down that fleeting moment. The paint looks pretty thin, almost like watercolor in places, which gives it this airy, dreamy quality. I am drawn to how the strokes are so loose and free, yet they come together to create this solid sense of place. It's not about getting every detail right, but more about capturing the feeling of being there. It reminds me a little of some other painters from that time who were trying to find new ways of seeing, pushing against tradition. Artists are always in conversation with each other, across time, riffing off each other's ideas, and inspiring each other to see the world in new ways.